When Lionel Messi and Argentina at last exulted in Qatar a year and a half ago, edging France in a shootout to win an electrifying World Cup final, La Albiceleste finished rewriting a narrative that had followed it to every major tournament for nearly 30 years.
The global title was its first since 1986, when Diego Maradona steered the nation to its second World Cup win. That achievement came on the heels of the 2021 Copa América triumph — the Argentines’ first continental crown since 1993. Over two tournaments 17 months apart, Messi filled both glaring holes in his résumé as the greatest to have played the game.