⚽ FIFA World Cup 2030: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay ⚽

[Saltysugar99]

All I know for sure is the fact Argentina squad will miss Messi for a long period of time because having the kinds of Messi at this age especially in the team was such a blessing which was enjoyed by them. It will take a long time before they can get such resource like him. Who is going to take over number 10 from the team now is one thing I’m also looking forward to see.

The difficult in replacing Messi is that he wasn't responsible for a single function in the team. He was responsible for different functions, like scoring, creating the plays, crossing the ball across the field and giving assistance to fellow players. Messi is a complete player and that is something hard to find in the market. The national team will have to change another characteristics and aspects of it in order to adapt themselves to a team without Messi.

Someone will indeed wear the number 10 shirt, but this new number 10 isn't going to be like Messi, and that must be what most concerns the coach, the players and the fans.

Messi was an exceptional player, there is no rival or equal to him at the moment. A player like Messi is created once in a generation. It may sound bad, but it is true that without Messi, the Argentina team will always feel a bit weak. In fact, no one will be like Messi just by wearing the number 10 jersey. whoever replaces him, whoever deserves this number, should play as an influential player for the whole team. If Messi was in the team, there was an extra advantage, that is, the players of the opponent team's defense would pay more attention to him, so the other of Argentina's players would get opportunities. In this way, Messi makes many match assists. Messi could handle the issues of creating space around the box and scoring goals from there very well. Without Messi, Argentina will be weak, they will not be the same type team as before . The next Argentina will have to be created as new way.

[giorgione]

In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina won the World Cup and through this, the legendary Messi's regret was removed, but Cristiano Ronaldo, despite being a great and talented player, has not yet won the World Cup trophy for his country's national team. This difference has created a lot of distance between Messi and Ronaldo. However, instead of arguing too much about who is the best, each talented player should show respect by maintaining excellence in their different positions. Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals and will probably break the record of 1000 goals this season, but his only dissatisfaction may be not getting the World Cup trophy.

We must admit one thing: Argentina deserved to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for how they played as a team, without favoritism and simply deserved to win the World Cup.

But as for the 2026 World Cup held in America, if Portugal had had the same type of games to get to the final that Argentina had, Portugal would probably have won the World Cup.

[m4r1o]

You've proven a point which makes lots of sense to me. I can't say anything more than waiting for national games to kick off. I sincerely want to watch Argentina perform, I matched Argentina's energy because Messi was there, I would really want to feel the same energy in his absence, the same game intensity, the techniques, and style of football when losing that feels like the match hasn't ended until the final whistle.

With Messi leaving, some special moments cannot be replaced, just memories that would stick with us forever, while we discover players who would set their own footprints, create their own path and history with the club, Argentina can still compete on international levels.

I don't think that now that Messi has left the national team, that Argentina will find itself at the mercy of itself, because in any case it has important players, it is a remarkable squad, made up of players who play in the major world championships and players who obviously cannot replace Messi in terms of quality, but who can still do very well. For example, i would see Nico Paz very well as a replacement in Messi's role and this would give Argentina a chance to continue playing using the same formation.

[Roseline492]

nobody can do it like Messi, I would rather be a bit selfish to say that no Argentinian in this present generation can ever do it better than Messi.

Let the young star perform without any comparison, he still has a lot to do in his career, putting him under comparison and expecting a similar result to what the best in the world of football does is demanding more than he can contribute to the club.

There will also be no other Ronaldo for Portugal, same with Messi, we might not see any better player than them again.

You can only measure this fact within the current players Argentina has but shouldn't take it on their entire generation because definitely their would come a lot of future players in Argentina who would start from were Lionel Messi ends and achieve what Messi has never had in his career because their are kids who are growing on their football academy with skills and performance Messi might have not even had at that age, the same thing also applies to Ronaldo because as they broke the record of some legends in the past that's also what the new ones will do but the only thing is that Rinaldo and Messi will not be forgotten.

[Rhow]

Messi's playing place may be taken by someone else, while many are saying the name of Nico Pas. But it is doubtful whether anyone else will be able to do the contributions that Messi used to make for the match in the future. Messi used to take the team forward through various contributions including chance creation, assists , dribbling, goal scoring and game control in a match. So it is not realistic to expect such expectations from a young player in the beginning. However, Thiago Almada's name has also come up as Messi's replacement. He is also a good enough player. When the next Argentina match , maybe we will see who is playing in Messi's place. Since Messi will not be there in the next matches. So, the forwards and midfielders should contribute together so that they can be responsible like Messi.

Let's be real: Argentina has no player that, currently, is able to do half of what Messi did. Argentina had an incredible easy path during the last World Cup and yet they heavily relied on a 39-year-old Messi to basically score 80% of the goals. Thiago Almada had a very mediocre career until now considering the expectations we all had on him. Nico Paz is improving a lot but I don't think he'll ever be a real star. Very good player for sure. Let's see.

It would have been a big problem for Argentina if Messi was not there. Messi is not only a star, but also has the ability to make quick decisions on the field. So without Messi, Argentina's additional ability to make decisions would have been reduced. Messi can simultaneously create opportunities, break the opponent's defensive line and change the pace of the match himself if necessary. So it is not possible to replace him with an ordinary forward. That is why Messi is quite important for Argentina. But I do not mean to say that Argentina is a Messi-dependent team. When Argentina was playing in the final of the Copa America in 2024, Messi was out of the match due to injury. Still, Argentina beat Colombia 1–0.

[Ale88]

And I think that with Messi getting older, the Argentina team also knew that  and he would retire very soon. So they may have already adjusted without Messi. Now all that remains to be seen is performance. Argentina has become a fairly balanced team in the last few years. Still, it is not possible to fill Messi's place with just one player. But if those who will play as a forwarder of Argentina are more responsible, then maybe they will be able to score goals to win their matches against strong teams even in Messi's absence.

The Argentine national team has the duty to demonstrate to their country that even without Messi the country must root for them. i think that Argentina without Messi can somehow find its core in team play. Obviously not having Messi and that certainty on the pitch doesn't help morale, but unfortunately they can't do otherwise.

Well, Scaloni and Argentina basically have to find a complete new style of playing because until now the strategy was quite simple: let's pass the ball to Messi and he's going to create something. And it's a totally fair tactic when you have a Messi in your team. The problems start when you don't have it anymore. Now Argentina must really start playing like a team, before it was Messi + 10. They will also have to replace several players in the incoming years because El Dibu, Tagliafico, Paredes, De Paul and few other players are getting older and older.

[Gost ms]

Messi's playing place may be taken by someone else, while many are saying the name of Nico Pas. But it is doubtful whether anyone else will be able to do the contributions that Messi used to make for the match in the future. Messi used to take the team forward through various contributions including chance creation, assists , dribbling, goal scoring and game control in a match. So it is not realistic to expect such expectations from a young player in the beginning. However, Thiago Almada's name has also come up as Messi's replacement. He is also a good enough player. When the next Argentina match , maybe we will see who is playing in Messi's place. Since Messi will not be there in the next matches. So, the forwards and midfielders should contribute together so that they can be responsible like Messi.

Let's be real: Argentina has no player that, currently, is able to do half of what Messi did. Argentina had an incredible easy path during the last World Cup and yet they heavily relied on a 39-year-old Messi to basically score 80% of the goals. Thiago Almada had a very mediocre career until now considering the expectations we all had on him. Nico Paz is improving a lot but I don't think he'll ever be a real star. Very good player for sure. Let's see.

It would have been a big problem for Argentina if Messi was not there. Messi is not only a star, but also has the ability to make quick decisions on the field. So without Messi, Argentina's additional ability to make decisions would have been reduced. Messi can simultaneously create opportunities, break the opponent's defensive line and change the pace of the match himself if necessary. So it is not possible to replace him with an ordinary forward. That is why Messi is quite important for Argentina. But I do not mean to say that Argentina is a Messi-dependent team. When Argentina was playing in the final of the Copa America in 2024, Messi was out of the match due to injury. Still, Argentina beat Colombia 1–0.

Yes I agree with what you said about Messi. But Messi is not the only reason why the team is in such a good position, the main reason for Argentina's progress is the good relationship and unity between them and the creativity of their great coach Scaloni, all of these play a big role in Argentina's progress. But yes we can't forget Messi's contribution and he has led the team very perfectly. Messi's place may take a long time to be filled, but we may see Scaloni's surprise in this place and he may have thought of something new

[Smartprofit]

One way or another, the era of universal geniuses is over.🙋

In my opinion, the Argentina national football team has adapted to this new reality better than, for example, Portugal. Lionel Scaloni certainly deserves credit for this. This coach reformed the Argentina national team based on the concept of pure team play. The success of this concept was convincingly demonstrated by their victory in the 2024 Copa América final. This victory was achieved without the active Messi, who was injured.

Therefore, I am confident that Argentina is capable of achieving a convincing victory at the 2030 World Cup even without a universal genius on the team. The team does not need Messi's successor. The old era, in my opinion, is over forever. But, as they say in the TV series "The Witcher" (I'm currently watching season 2): "When something ends, something begins."💁

[HustleZ]

We must admit one thing: Argentina deserved to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for how they played as a team, without favoritism and simply deserved to win the World Cup.

But as for the 2026 World Cup held in America, if Portugal had had the same type of games to get to the final that Argentina had, Portugal would probably have won the World Cup.

I agree with one of your opinion, but the other one we cant say for sure… what exactly makes you think portugal could have won against England, Egypt and other teams when they couldn’t even win against cape verde? And whatsoever they reached the finals then how could you say they would win if they have been knocked out of the worldcup by the same team?? Portugal lost to spain in the RO16 so what would make them win the final? Argentina had an incredible run this worldcup and the final was also not bad. Giving tough time to a great team and only losing by 1 goal isnt bad in my opinion, so let’s just not put that extra brain of yours because the whats and ifs are of no use

[Ruttoshi]

We must admit one thing: Argentina deserved to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for how they played as a team, without favoritism and simply deserved to win the World Cup.

But as for the 2026 World Cup held in America, if Portugal had had the same type of games to get to the final that Argentina had, Portugal would probably have won the World Cup.

Spain is the best in the world. You saw how they fought their way to the finals and defeated the defending champions without much difficulties. I don't think that Portugal would have done better than what Argentina did to the point of winning the world cup.

Portugal isn't in a good form to win the world cup. They might be good in previous years but not this one. They got eliminated earlier than we expected that alone has shown that they're not strong enough.

[ndutndut]

We must admit one thing: Argentina deserved to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for how they played as a team, without favoritism and simply deserved to win the World Cup.

But as for the 2026 World Cup held in America, if Portugal had had the same type of games to get to the final that Argentina had, Portugal would probably have won the World Cup.

For me, both in the 2022 World Cup and the 2026 World Cup the reality is that Argentina has always been favored because of referee decisions. I have no doubt about this; you can see it in the 2022 World Cup and the 2026 World Cup especially in the World Cup in the US where the referee's bias towards Argentina was really evident when they played against Cape Verde, Switzerland, and Egypt. What I mean is that the referee's favoritism towards Argentina is very clear, but when it comes to the choice of opponents they faced, I think that’s not because FIFA helped them, but purely because Argentina managed to perform perfectly in the group stage so in the knockout stage they got easier opponents.

I mean a lot of people are questioning FIFA for putting Argentina on an easy path or giving them easy opponents, even though if we assess it objectively it's purely because of their perfect performance in the group stage. As for Portugal they actually had a big chance to be on the same path as Argentina if they had managed to win against Colombia. But because of the draw, Portugal ended up as the runner up in their group, which made them face Spain in the Round of 32 while Colombia the group winner ended up on the same path as Argentina going against Switzerland in the Round of 32.

If only at that time Portugal had beaten Colombia then Portugal in the round of 32 would have faced Switzerland and if they won against Switzerland, they would meet Argentina in the round of 16.

[retreat]

If Nico Paz were to take Messi's place and the comparison was made for him, he would feel that pressure immensely. Aware of the fact that Messi is his idol, he would in no way want to be compared to his idol, because he knows that he would be unattainable.

Replacing Messi is no easy feat. He's an Argentine legend, so when a player is expected to step into his role, the pressure can be enormous, as they need to live up to public expectations and will be constantly compared to Messi. These high expectations can be difficult for any player to handle, and they can even affect their performance. Therefore, rather than constantly searching for Messi's replacement, the Argentine national team must develop players who can develop their own identity and perform without the burden of such high expectations.

[Lillominato89]

You're right, nobody expects Nico Paz or Thiago Almada to step in and produce Messi numbers immediately, that would be unrealistic.
The reality now is that Argentina will have to adapt its entire system. Instead of relying on one individual to carry the creative load, the responsibility has to be shared across the entire midfield and forward line. Paz and Almada both have huge potential but the team's success moving forward will depend on collective teamwork rather than expecting a single young player to step into Messi's shoes. At least for now.

If Nico Paz were to take Messi's place and the comparison was made for him, he would feel that pressure immensely. Aware of the fact that Messi is his idol, he would in no way want to be compared to his idol, because he knows that he would be unattainable. However, i consider Nico Paz a player with incredible qualities and who can certainly do excellent things with the national team. Would be nice if my Inter buy it.

Comparing Nico Paz to Messi is rather impossible. Nothing against the Como player, but Messi is a living legend – and not just for Argentine fans.
In my view, comparing the two players would only put media pressure on Nico Paz and risk him burning out straight away. Let’s allow the player to develop in peace.

[ArabBTC]

Comparing Nico Paz to Messi is rather impossible. Nothing against the Como player, but Messi is a living legend – and not just for Argentine fans.
In my view, comparing the two players would only put media pressure on Nico Paz and risk him burning out straight away. Let’s allow the player to develop in peace.

Some football fans can be funny at times, how can someone compare Nico Paz to Lionel Messi the greatest of all time, what has Nico Paz seen or played in football that would prompted such insulting comparisons, the gap between him and Messi is just unthinkable, with such statements Nico Paz will just be under unnecessary pressure which will completely affect his game play because he might want to be making some moves just to impress the fans and before you know it he will become a flop. I know that no one is indispensable but as long as football is concerned for now it is a complete insult to compare Nico Paz with Lionel Messi.

[ArabBTC]

Comparing Nico Paz to Messi is rather impossible. Nothing against the Como player, but Messi is a living legend – and not just for Argentine fans.
In my view, comparing the two players would only put media pressure on Nico Paz and risk him burning out straight away. Let’s allow the player to develop in peace.

Some football fans can be funny at times, how can someone compare Nico Paz to Lionel Messi the greatest of all time, what has Nico Paz seen or played in football that would have prompted such insulting comparisons, the gap between him and Messi is just unthinkable, with such statements Nico Paz will just be under unnecessary pressure which will completely affect his game play because he might want to be making some moves just to impress the fans and before you know it he will become a flop. I know that no one is indispensable but as long as football is concerned for now it is a complete insult to compare Nico Paz with Lionel Messi.

[Pandorak]

We must admit one thing: Argentina deserved to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for how they played as a team, without favoritism and simply deserved to win the World Cup.

But as for the 2026 World Cup held in America, if Portugal had had the same type of games to get to the final that Argentina had, Portugal would probably have won the World Cup.

I think what you’re saying makes sense, considering that Argentina had an easier path, even though the opponents they faced turned out to be very tough and didn’t want to give up easily, even when facing previous World Cup champions, like Argentina. Take Cape Verde, for example, which put on an outstanding performance with its goalkeeper as the main highlight, forming a strong, nearly impenetrable wall that made scoring goals extremely difficult, they nearly lost to this country’s team. Later, perhaps against Egypt. Yes, i’ll admit that Argentina comeback was quite surprising.

As for Portugal, their squad is indeed strong, but their performance was very disappointing. I felt they spent too much time in midfield instead of consistently building attacks. In this, Cristiano Ronaldo final World Cup, he and his team seemed to underperform, even though they should have been able to do more given their talent but they failed to capitalize on their momentum to the fullest.

[Byebyebtc]

Well, Scaloni and Argentina basically have to find a complete new style of playing because until now the strategy was quite simple: let's pass the ball to Messi and he's going to create something. And it's a totally fair tactic when you have a Messi in your team. The problems start when you don't have it anymore. Now Argentina must really start playing like a team, before it was Messi + 10. They will also have to replace several players in the incoming years because El Dibu, Tagliafico, Paredes, De Paul and few other players are getting older and older.

And that's a strategy that really worked very well for the team. Messi alone is the game plan 
I bet the coach do not really stress himself to get these magnificent results, that's why most times he gets emotional easily. Argentina will definitely miss Messi.

This is the moment where a lot of things happen in the team, player will fall off, fan base might reduce and then the most will see the impact Messi made. They need replacements they need new stars,
Although a lot of anticipation of Messi sons maybe that's when next we might see this Argentina again.

[SPIDERMAN008]

Comparing Nico Paz to Messi is rather impossible. Nothing against the Como player, but Messi is a living legend – and not just for Argentine fans.
In my view, comparing the two players would only put media pressure on Nico Paz and risk him burning out straight away. Let’s allow the player to develop in peace.

Some football fans can be funny at times, how can someone compare Nico Paz to Lionel Messi the greatest of all time, what has Nico Paz seen or played in football that would prompted such insulting comparisons, the gap between him and Messi is just unthinkable, with such statements Nico Paz will just be under unnecessary pressure which will completely affect his game play because he might want to be making some moves just to impress the fans and before you know it he will become a flop. I know that no one is indispensable but as long as football is concerned for now it is a complete insult to compare Nico Paz with Lionel Messi.

People can express their opinions. But if anyone compare Nico Paz, he will not be even close to Messi. And his career is just starting. However, I want him to play well enough, perform well for the team and take Argentina a long way.

But professional players don't really care about the audience's opinions or attitudes. During the match, everyone wants to provide their best performance. But some players naturally have extraordinary power, while some players try, practice, and prepare themselves for a long time.

In the case of Messi, it worked both ways. Messi was a dedicated enough player. He has confirmed his position as one of the best players in the world by overcoming all kinds of obstacles, practicing and consistently maintaining his performance. So, I don't think there is a need to compare any rising player with Messi at the moment. And all the players who get the opportunity to play in the national team are given a place there because they can perform well enough.

Individually, everyone's abilities are not the same, everyone is different from others according to their own abilities. So comparing someone to someone else doesn't really have much of an impact.

[danadc]

Comparing Nico Paz to Messi is rather impossible. Nothing against the Como player, but Messi is a living legend – and not just for Argentine fans.
In my view, comparing the two players would only put media pressure on Nico Paz and risk him burning out straight away. Let’s allow the player to develop in peace.

You're right, you can't compare them. Messi is light years ahead of Nico. Besides, Nico is still very young. Like you said, he needs to develop quickly. He doesn't need to be compared to anyone right now. Each of the young players has to do their part, make their own story. It's like comparing him to Lamine or Raphinha; it's not fair. Messi has always been compared to Cristiano because they're from the same era, with similar competition for titles; everything coincides.

[Ale88]

Some football fans can be funny at times, how can someone compare Nico Paz to Lionel Messi the greatest of all time, what has Nico Paz seen or played in football that would prompted such insulting comparisons, the gap between him and Messi is just unthinkable, with such statements Nico Paz will just be under unnecessary pressure which will completely affect his game play because he might want to be making some moves just to impress the fans and before you know it he will become a flop. I know that no one is indispensable but as long as football is concerned for now it is a complete insult to compare Nico Paz with Lionel Messi.

Football fans - and journalists too - are always looking for "the next X". Before Messi how many players were supposed to be the new Maradona? A bunch of different names, for sure I remember players such as Ortega, Riquelme, Aimar, D'Alessandro, Saviola, and many others, and none of them ever got close to Maradona's level. Then, finally, Messi arrived, and we actually had the new Maradona. Now the game restarts and it's the turn of the new Messi. But players like Maradona or Messi are born every 20-25 years so, on paper, there are low chances Argentina will be able to replace Messi anytime soon.