Argentina has longed for the perfect formula to win a World Cup with Lionel Messi. With its current group—and with Messi’s current form—La Albiceleste may just have it.
LUSAIL, Qatar — Whereas Argentina icons Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona nimbly dribble(d) around and between opposing defenders, Julián Álvarez—so desperate to help the former, his beloved captain, win the World Cup—simply went through them.
Argentina is on its way deliriously to another final, and while this surely is Messi’s team, and in large part Messi’s story, the heir to Maradona has never been blessed with such a devoted and cohesive supporting cast.