Heroes & Humans of Football

Messi & Argentina: A Love Story (of sorts)

Jun 20, 2024

51:29

It's bizarre how long it took Argentinians to learn to love Leo Messi. His exile from his declining homeland always made him suspect. The comparison with Maradona hung over him from the start. And why was he hardly ever as good for Argentina as he was for Barcelona? We tell the story of the world's best player's complex relationship with his own country, and how it finally had a happy end.

Timestamps:

00:00:02 - Introduction

00:01:18 - Messi's fraught relationship with Argentina

00:06:24 - Messi as the embodiment of the Pibe archetype

00:11:36 - Messi's early international career and struggles with Argentina

00:18:52 - 2014 World Cup and Argentina's attempt at a "Messi strategy"

00:24:06 - 2014 World Cup disappointment and Messi's frustrations

00:29:19 - Psychoanalysis of Messi's perceived lack of Argentinian-ness

00:36:58 - Messi finally wins Copa America in 2021

00:39:35 - 2022 World Cup in Qatar and initial struggles

00:40:24 - Argentina's resurgence and Messi's leadership

00:42:15 - Winning the 2022 World Cup as a team

00:44:26 - Messi's place in Argentinian history compared to Maradona

00:46:10 - Speculation on Messi's life without football

00:48:02 - Would the hosts want to hang out with Messi?

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