The 'Albiceleste' fans hope for the best from Messi and Argentina

Pele was head and shoulders above the rest; the greatest football player ever. For nearly one and a half decades - from 1957 to 1971 - the extraordinary Brazilian ruled the roost, winning three World Cups - the Jules Rimet Trophy was Brazil's for keeps!

The famous No. 10 of Brazil championed the 1958 and 1962 wins, and eight years later, in 1970. No other football player has ever repeated this feat. And no other team after triumphs in 1958 and 1962 has defended the title. It’s 64 years now!

Pele was not lucky to win the Copa America for Brazil, and the ‘Ballon d'Or’ (Golden Ball) that was awarded by France only to the Europeans till 1970, but FIFA chose Pele, aka ' Black Pearl', as the greatest player of the century.

This Pele nugget is necessary when fans across the world are swept up in Messi mania, gripping the FIFA World Cup in the Americas. Four years ago, during the Arab world's first World Cup in Doha, Qatar, the bundle of energy and charm was greeted with a deafening roar of excitement when he took the field for a warm-up before the match. Eyeballs were fixed on him when the ball was at his feet. Eventually, Messi won his first World Cup.

The legend - considered by the present generation as the greatest ever - because they have seen him day in and day out on the small screen - gets another chance to win the FIFA World Cup in Argentina's Blue and White stripes, with an image of the 2022 win in Qatar printed on the shirt front.

Pele featured in four competitions in Sweden, Chile, England, and Mexico. It will be Messi’s sixth, having made his Cup finals debut in 2006 in Germany and thereafter in South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Messi has already scored 13 goals, one more than Pelé's twelve.

The 'Albiceleste ' will be coached by the successful and respected Lionel Scaloni, who has been at the national team dugout for eight years. The former full-back has directed all action for the team in 102 internationals, won 73, drawn 19, and lost 10. The team scored 209 goals and conceded 52. At just 48, Scaloni has achieved a lot and earned the trust of the team, which has a fantastic lineup.

Argentina will lock horns with Algeria (1-1 no loss), Austria (2-1-1 no loss), and Jordan (not played) in Group Stage 1 before the tough engagements from the round of 32 onwards. The South American team that won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024 and the World Cup in 2022 won 12 qualifying matches, lost four, and drew four; the losses came against Ecuador, which has a strong defence, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Colombia. So the qualifiers showed that Argentina can be vulnerable. Messi scored eight goals and paved the way for three more.

The Messi-led Argentina has won 40 matches after the shock defeat against Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022. It has lost only four games since Qatar, and it closed out its preparations for the big stage with Messi scoring his 117th international goal in its 3-0 win over Iceland. Messi spent 944 minutes in 13 qualifier matches and 1242 minutes in 14 matches for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer, which shows his high fitness levels.

Coach Scaloni prefers the 4-3-3 style with a splendid midfield manned by Valentin Barco, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Lo Celso and Guilianoa Simeone and a four-man backline. Scaloni began with a 4-4-2 against Iceland, a 4-2-3-1 against Honduras and Zambia, and a 4-3-3 against Mauritania; these were warm-up games.

The focus will be on Messi, but the keen and eager in Argentina will be looking at the young Nico Paz (21) whose market value is around 83 million Euros. He plays in the Italian League, where he turns out for Como; he was with Real Madrid for two seasons, from 2022 to 2024.

Argentina has reached 18 finals; the title match six times and winning it three times. There is a great legacy to Argentina’s football, and who will forget the brilliant Diego Maradona, whose "hand of god" goal paved the way for his team to beat England in the 1986 Cup quarter finals.

Argentina will be without Angel Di Maria, who has retired, but the ageing Messi - who will turn 39 on June 24 - will have the support of Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.

Argentina will have a high percentage of players who have won the World Cup and Copa America 2024. That's definitely an advantage for Scaloni and Messi.