Lionel Messi's Legacy After Argentina's World Cup Final Performance

Still the goat. Did a disastrous performance by Argentina in the World Cup final taint Lionel Messi's legacy. Here we go. This is 48 to1 presented by Heineken from fans to friends. And there are there is only one team left standing and it's not Argentina because they were embarrassed thoroughly outclassed throughout this performance. Then they embarrassed themselves after the final whistle. Oh yeah. But today's topic of discussion is their leader, the fearless leader whom many consider the greatest player of all time. Did Lionel Messi's legacy become tainted at all? Like that if

that's the last time we're going to see him on a World Cup pitch and that was the performance we saw, not necessarily from him, but from his team. So, does this taint his legacy at all? No. He was playing with house money. He was already, you know, rightly considered the GOAT or I mean, people are entitled to view it differently. That's the way I see it. Again, playing with house money. People are entitled to be wrong if they don't like I mean direct shot at the Ronaldo fans out there. That's correct. This is the third World Cup final Messi has appeared in. He has dragged Argentina to the final on all three

occasions. Sure, they've only won one of those three finals. But that's not a testament to his failings. Even though I will say I think that was the worst Messi performance I've ever seen in a World Cup. He didn't create a single chance for the first time in the World Cup in a match that he started. So, uh, but that, you know, that's largely by virtue to Spain's dominance. But no, I don't know how you can watch that match on Sunday and think that it tarnishes his legacy in any way. Yeah, I think you could almost go totally the opposite direction and argue perhaps that seeing what he was playing with in this tournament enhances his legacy in a way.

Yeah, fair. Like to Chandler's point, he dragged this team to the final. Look, I you know, I'm not going to sit here and try and justify when I said that Argentina was going to be the biggest flop and all that. Like, this was not a great Argentina team. Frankly, they got to the final by sheer force of will largely because of Messi um and these late game heroics and this mystique around Argentina and Spain was having none of that and kind of rightly I think put them in their place in this final. But Messi got them there and without him, does this team make it out of the group stage? Not sure about that.

They don't make it past Cabo Verde like Exactly. So, you know, I think you could go totally the opposite direction and say for him to score eight goals at 39 years old. Yeah. To have uh multiple assists, including against England in, you know, that unbelievable right-footed cross uh to beat England in the semi-final. Everything that he's done, I don't think in any way the final taints his legacy. Like, there's only so much that you can do as one player. And we saw like he had to drop all the way into his own half almost on the edge of his

own box just to get on the ball. Yeah. Right. Like he took the opening kickoff. That was his only touch of the half for a good 20 25 minutes. Argentina did nothing and we can get into the, you know, the approach and the tactics perhaps and why they were wrong to approach the game that way. I don't think any of that is a stain on Messi's legacy. Yeah, unless he was like I we were joking off air, but unless they he was going to start at like central midfield or something, there was just no way he was going to be able to influence that match because Argentina had none of the ball.

Like you said, he had to drop deeper to even collect the ball and try to create something from nothing and he wasn't able to. But yeah, even though I'm the one who asked the question cuz I had to as the host, I agree with you guys. This does not taint his legacy. And if anything, just him getting this team there adds to his legacy. What he did in this World Cup at 39 years old. Like Chandler, I know you're not a fan of what I said off air about how I thought he wrecked England. You kind of rolled your eyes at that. But in the in the last number one England fan over here, in the last 20 minutes of that match in the 70s, I'm sorry. Like when he went a little wider and started collecting the ball more and creating more, those I

understand it was only 20 minutes out of a 90-minute match, but those 20 minutes were unbelievable. And that's what he does now at this age, right? It's it's moments like he walks the rest of the team runs so that he can walk on the field and spring to life and take over games and decide games and he can still do that. It's just that at a certain point when you have a team like Spain who can stamp that out, bro. One, sorry to cut you off. One person ruined England that semi and he's German and bald. So, okay, I get that England obviously. Hey, listen. The Balds are not claiming Thomas Tukul by the way. He's a reluctant Bald.

You don't have a choice. I get that, you know, there are two sides to every match. There are two. It's not all hyperbolic, too. There's nuance. Yes, for sure. I'm not saying he was a one-man show, but for those 20 minutes, he was far and away the best player on the pitch at 39 years old in a World Cup semi-final like, and he did drag his team to the final. And it to me, it's one of those arguments where it's like for anyone that does think the final tainted his legacy. It's like, okay, so would he have come across better if he didn't get his team that far? Like if they had lost in the round of 30act.

Yeah. Or what if his place in the starting 11 like certain other veterans actually made their team worse. Not saying any names. You can fill in the blanks, but you get me right. Yeah. Exactly. So I think I mean I know I asked the question. I'm sure there are people out there perhaps fans of that veteran you speak of who would say this. Let us know in the comments. This does state his legacy. But I just I don't see any way you could have watched any minute of World Cup football in this tournament outside of the final and thought that this tournament or that

final tainted his legacy whatsoever. You know, part of me I think it's unlikely he'll be 43 at the time, but part of me would like to see him play again just to see like what he could do at that age. And also just so this game isn't his last World Cup game cuz it like got a little emotional for everything else about Argentina and the skull duggery and the histrionics and all that stuff. Like it was emotional seeing Messi in tears at the end. And we've seen him in tears at the end of multiple games in this tournament, even wins. Like I think it was a signal that he knew especially against Egypt after they had

that crazy comeback like he knew he was very close to being done at the World Cup I think in that game and I think it was a sign again after the final um when he was in tears there saluting the fans like I think he understands this was it but part of me would just sort of like to see him you know maybe come off the bench in 2030. What a sight 43 years old. 43 and maybe score another goal. maybe set up another goal and just kind of ride off in the sunset that way potentially. There will be a match in Argentina, the next World Cup. It's what in Morocco, the actual host are Morocco, Morocco and Spain um and Portugal, which opens up another can of worm for somebody else. Uh but then South America's going to have some matches to

mark the centenery. So, it's not out of the question. Look, he can kind of for what say whatever he will about MLS, he can coast through that league. I'm sorry. and he signed a three-year extension with Inter Miami. So, just to get you guys think this is actually possible. I don't think it's impossible. I don't think it's like a non-zero chance. But there is a nonzero chance that we see. I'm not going to slander anyone who's in their 40s for obvious reasons. So, there's a will, there is a way, my friends. I do want to get into uh Argentina's performance more so than me, too. Yeah.

More so than Messi's. Uh, but before we do that, let's hit the streets of Toronto, one of the host cities for the World Cup, and hear what fans had to say about their favorite kits this tournament. I think Norway had really cool kits. I specifically like the black kit that they had with like the Nordic writing. I thought that was pretty cool. I would say Spain's away kit is really nice. Might also say England's away kit is also one of my favorites. The Korea away jersey. Yeah, that's that one for me. The Canada one that looks like it's got graffiti on it. Like yeah,

I really think that the designs this World Cup in particular have just been amazing, you know. Yeah, I like the England one a lot. I just think it's like very classic and clean. Mexico and I really like the Belgium thirds that they wore against uh the United States. Yeah, those two. I'm going to say I love the Mexico home jersey and also the Norway jersey. I think those two come straight to mind. All right, that segment was presented by Heineken from fans to friends and I'll turn to my friends one last time on 48 in this tournament. Uh we just listened to fans talk about their favorite kits this tournament. I would argue that

Argentinian team that was defending champions going into that match made an absolute mockery of the historic Argentina kit with that performance. disgraceful during the match and after the whistle. We talked about whether this tainted Leo Messi's legacy. We all agreed that it didn't. I realize this is a little bit of like, you know, Monday morning quarterbacking and also kind of rewriting history. I know they're two different tournaments, but as the defending champions, did their performance in that match and all the goonery that we saw, like did it in any way taint Argentina's place and you know them as champions going into that tournament on the stage at all? Like

does it taint that reputation for you or do you just completely separate out? It's two different tournaments. They were worthy champions, different team. What reputation? I don't know. Look, I think in part FIFA and the refereeing has enabled this behavior. Uh, this World Cup had 23 fouls per match on average, which was the lowest ever. So, it was very clear that the match officials were trying to uh call fewer fouls, contribute to more fluid play, which is laughing in the face of the hydration breaks and ridiculous stoppages. But by not calling these fouls, it enabled that behavior from Argentina. And we saw some absolutely absurd fouls. I mean, Tagliao

on Yamal, there was three fouls in one move. He was like parallel to the pitch. It was like a Liu Kang kick, Mortal Kombat or whatever. Like Mallister not getting a yellow two feet studs up. I mean, the two biggest clowns of the tournament, Argentinians, Valentin Barco and Leandro Paredes. Pedes was playing like a man possessed. It was just sort of a not going to see many tears shed for Enzo Fernandez's red card and sending off. But to be fair, like I don't want to just entirely slag Argentina. I think uh part of their footballing ethos is emboldened by this aggressive play. Uh it brings them together as a team. It inspires them. And look, they probably gone into a few matches in this

World Cup thinking we are the inferior of these two teams. maybe against England, certainly against Spain, you know, uh and this sort of like ethos of part style, part spite, uh hating your opponent, I think it empowers them to play, uh better than they are, some of their own parts. You know, they outkicked their coverage in so many games in this tournament. So, I think that's part of what has led them to this point in the tournament. Yeah, I think we have to separate the uh post-match shenanigans that we saw from our guy Parades and others and Barco going back to the England game. Separate that from the actual performance is important, I think, because look, we've talked about this a lot,

like it doesn't matter how you win. Nobody cares how you win the World Cup. When they put your name on the trophy, there's no asterisk that says, "Oh, they won, but they played defensive. Oh, they won, but it wasn't entertaining. Oh, they won, but there were a lot of fouls." just says that you won. Right. We talk about this in all sports like flags fly forever. Yeah. Um so defending whether or not you think it was the correct tactic, we all agree that it was the incorrect way to go about trying to beat Spain. You're not just going to sit back for 90 minutes and beat Spain. But it is a t a tactic

that you can try and we'd be having a very different conversation if they would have nicked a goal at the end or wanted. It would have been and it felt like it was going that way. And I thought they had a chance to win the World Cup with forget zero shots on target. Zero shots attempted if it had gone to penalties and the previous record was 68 minutes which was France at the last World Cup coincidentally. But that's ridiculous. Yeah. But I think, you know, again to the point about the tactics, like Argentina, even with 10 men, when there was three or four minutes left and they had to push, they did create a couple of openings like Pubarci had to make a very

good last ditch tackle inside his own six yard box. Like where the heck was that for 120 minutes, right? Like that was the pathway to winning. Nobody's saying go out and be wildly open and expansive. Like Spain will pick you apart that way. But you can attack them. You can try to attack them. You have the greatest player of all time on the pitch. it is it behooves you to try to do that as opposed to what they did. So I think the tactics were incorrect. Um but like this idea that uh you know kind of to your point earlier and a lot of the debate after like an embarrassing performance strictly on the field you know I push back against that a little bit because it is a tactic to try and win whether or not you think it was the

correct one or it works obviously it didn't but it is a way to win and other teams have won the World Cup that way. Well they knew who they were. They knew what from a footballing perspective they're capable of and they stuck to that. So at least they had self-awareness. We've seen other teams in this World Cup lose because they lost sight of what they are capable of. So if you want to, you know, clutch at some positives here, you could view it that way. Yeah. But again, like postmatch the parade stuff is garbage. That is humiliating. That's embarrassing. And like frankly not befitting of a defending champion. Um so like that stuff I agree with 100%. Like there's no place for that. Look, I'm not going to

sit here and pretend to know what it feels like to lose a World Cup final and the emotions of that moment, but have some grace. You know what I mean? Yeah. In the ultimate contrast and style. Sorry to keep going on here, but Spain always in control. Argentina always sort of on the precipice on the edge of chaos. And you see that like with Enzo Fernandez's red card, second yellow in the 93rd minute. First card was for descent. That's so unnecessary. And then the foul on Pow Kabarsi. that was at the halfway line. What are you doing? You don't need to make that tackle there. So, it's avoidable things.

And like I said, they're on the edge and they teetered over it and the result was they lost. Yeah. Pack of goons that are lucky they got they said it. You said they've got Lionel Messi. We got the two of us are over here. I just listen I appreciate the passion that Argentina showed throughout the tournament and I appreciate even just like not the inevitability but the there's like a defiance about the way Argentina plays. Perfect. Exactly. It was they very defiant and I know even u the commentator at least on the Canadian feed or the world feed kept mentioning it yesterday as well. jury that they, you know, they just like refused to be beaten

in so many ways and so many times and I do appreciate that and I respect that, but I think I don't know. I just feel like what we watched in the final was a different level. And I get what you're saying with the tactics and yes, even the self-awareness, but like you're still Argentina, you're still the defending champion, you still have Leo Messi. I don't know if they had to revert that far back into in terms of the way they just h like happily conceded no the ball for basically 120 minutes. I think also like you know Lionel Scaloney making a change at halftime like a manager making a change at halftime is like the biggest admission of a mistake.

It's a tell. Yeah. Exactly right. So when he took off Nico Gonzalez was like their only outball. um like great in the air, he can win balls up against the fullback, but then he would win the headers and there's nobody around him and Spain would just collect the second ball and recycle and start again. And so he took him off to add another midfielder. That was an admission of this is not working. The problem was by that point the um the tempo of the match was already so decided that Argentina could not get control back and it was just oneway traffic for 120 minutes until Argentina had that last like half chance when they were desperate to try and get the equalizer. So yeah, you know, again, we agree like wrong approach. Should have been a

little more uh try to play on the front foot, try to have the ball, try to take advantage of having the best player alive on your team. They didn't do that and we ended up with the correct results frankly in the end. Yeah, the best team won in the end. I think uh I think that's about it. I think we've eulogized Argentina enough. I think we've danced on their graves or at least I have enough. Uh it's been a great tournament, boy. It's been fun doing this with you from uh from the beginning or you know even before the tournament started from 48 teams down to one when Spain was the last team standing. This has been 48 to1 presented by Heineken. From fans to friends, don't forget to

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