Shades of Diego Maradona’s 1990 FIFA World Cup final in Lionel Messi’s 2026 journey | Football News
Tears take you back to a balmy July night 36 years ago. As Leo Messi stood at MetLife Stadium – defeated – on Sunday night, it was impossible not to remember Diego Maradona. ‘El Diego’ was inconsolable as the Germans walked off to receive the World Cup at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico following their 1-0 victory in the 1990 tournament.Two geniuses, two very different characters, but very similar in their efforts to protect the ultimate glory that their professional lives have given them. Messi was able to walk easily after the Qatar high. Not many would question Maradona if Argentina could not match the dizzying heights of 1986 four years. But they are not ready to give up. The two artist soldiers long for a return journey to the top of the world, a kind of Odyssey, when resources are running out.Going into the final, just as Maradona’s Argentina were underdogs against a German side in their prime, so were Messi’s Albiceleste against La Roja hit in their stride.A look at Argentina’s ball-possession in both finals, too, suggests how they struggle to keep up with their European opponents. On Sunday, it was a poor 35% possession for the Argentines — the lowest of any team in a World Cup final — while available statistics say it was 39% for Maradona’s team against the Germans.Even red cards – the sending off of Gustavo Dezotti late in the 1990 game – took the last fight out of the Argentines, as the Copa America champions did when Enzo Fernandez was given his marching orders on Sunday. Maradona, through the 1990 World Cup, had a team that was past its prime, similar to Messi this season. Unlike his predecessor, who could not score in Italy, Messi has eight to his name this season.
But then, Maradona’s influence was great. His assist for Claudio Cannigia knocked Brazil out of the Round of 16 while the threatening outlook of the Argentine master did not allow Yugoslavia and Italy – both trained European units – to show their fangs.Just as Messi missed a penalty against Egypt in the Round of 16, Maradona, too, fluffed his lines from the spot in the tie-breaker against Yugoslavia in the quarters, only for goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea to rise to the occasion and save Argentina from blushes.The 1990 World Cup was also marked by the way Maradona split the host country, where he also played his club football for Napoli. Before the semifinal in the stadium that is now called the Diego Maradona Arena, the city of Naples was divided – one group cheering for their boy while the other stood in the national colors and the Azzurri.This time, Messi’s Argentina has the same polarizing effect on the football universe. If you believe the hype, FIFA played a part in the rise of the champions, while others stand on the magic of Messi and the team’s uncanny ability to come back, again and again.And towards the final, Maradona, like Messi, is the biggest threat and the German striker Juergen Klinsman explained to ESPN how they plan to neutralize the effect of the genius. “We knew that a Maradona moment would finish us. Our coach Franz Beckenbauer told (defensive midfielder) Guido Buchwald to go with Diego wherever he goes, even if it’s to the toilet… Bucky was holding onto Diego every minute of the game, making him ineffective. “Buchwald’s consistency earned him the nickname ‘Diego’,” Klinsmann said.
Times have changed, this is no longer a time for man-to-man marking and Spain’s tactic for Messi is a bit different. Rodri and Marc Cucurella just let him guard him when he’s in their zone. The idea is to isolate him and dry up the passes to him. It wasn’t until the 117th minute that Messi took his first shot on goal, which might have gone in if Mikel Merino hadn’t stood firm and taken a full-blooded shot to his head.The instructions of Spanish coach Luis de la Fuentes to his team to stop Messi are very similar to Beckenbauer’s for his sons all those years ago “I told my players that facing Messi is the biggest challenge in football. He pushed us to our absolute limit because that’s what the best players do,” de la Fuentes said.The inevitable happened. Ferran Torres looked like an Andreas Brehme figure from all those years ago, putting the dagger into Argentina’s hearts late in the game. And when the final whistle was blown, two magicians, divided by time, stood on the same platform, tears in their eyes. It’s just that, they are not the only ones crying in the whole world.
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