The summary of Argentina’s surge to the final of this year’s FIFA World Cup is one riddled with highlights of late goals that turned their tide away from near defeat into laughing last with victory. The tale is spiced with images of Argentina’s title-winning potential and the magic of Lionel Messi (the incoming greatest of all time – GOAT).
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Such was the dramatic climax in three of their four knock-out games at the 2026 Mundial, as late goals made a huge world of difference for the three-time winners on the verge of a fourth title and a consecutive conquest.
From struggling into extra time versus Cape Verde in the round of 32, to three goals in the last 11 minutes that got them a 3-2 win over Egypt in the round of 16 and two goals in the last seven minutes to sink England 2-1 during Wednesday’s semi-final, it’s been a case of 12th Hour Miracles for Argentina.
Dramatically, they’ve gone all the way to this Sunday’s final in New York despite struggling against ‘smaller’ teams. The first goal they conceded in this year’s competition was against Jordan (who they defeated 3-1), following which they toiled to 3-2 wins over both Cape Verde and Egypt.
Those results left most analysts submitting that Les Albiceleste were vulnerable this year and not as good as they used to be. A 3-1 spanking of Switzerland in the quarter-finals did not change that narrative, and many observers felt England would eventually stop the Argies in the last-four.
Against most permutations, though, the reverse turned out to be the case, as the defending champions won the game 2-1 (despite trailing 1-0 up till the 85th minute) and they remain on course to become only the second country in history (after Brazil) to win the World Cup back-to-back.
Amazingly, in this year’s second semi-final, the miracle of Argentina’s late goals again popped up to save the day. One big difference this time, though, was that their captain, Lionel Messi, had two assists, which cemented his place atop the goals scorers’ charts in the first Mundial to be co-hosted by three countries.
Messi’s double-assist versus England spelt a myriad of implications –
1. Not only is he a good scorer (with eight so far in this competition), but he is also a good provider.
2. If Messi is marked out and cannot score, he creates opportunities for his teammates to make hay.
3. Argentina’s power is not just in the luck of late goals. It’s also due to the magical feet of their skipper.
4. Though they struggled to overcome Cape Verde and Egypt, the quality of champions in them kept them going all the way to victory at the final whistle.
5. Wednesday’s victory over England showed that Argentina look good to defeat Spain in Sunday’s final – with luck, history, statistics, and Messi on their side.
Interestingly, many pundits also argue that Spain have not looked fantastic in this competition, but they’ve held firm in defence and compact in midfield to get the job done. For them, it’s not about finesse but firmness to gnaw out desired results – and now they are in the grand finale. Play dirty and snatch glory?
The question now arises: Who wins World Cup 2026? Spain or Argentina? Without hesitation, my vote goes to Argentina … because they’ve confirmed that they can step out unscathed from the miry clay and get back unto solid ground through thick and thin with their status intact. That’s the stuff champions are made of – when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Correlatively, aside the magic of late goals and that iota of luck that sometimes spells the difference between winner and loser, Argentina also have the power of a maestro who is fast becoming the undisputed GOAT of football.
Now that he has the most World Cup goals by any player in history, with this year’s goleador gong also looming large, serial assists to boot and consecutive conquest of the trophy added to the mix, would it still be wise to rate Messi behind any other player (dead or alive)?
Apologies to King Pele and Diego Armando Maradona, and no disrespect to Cristiano Robaldo, but I believe the tides of World Cup 2026 have taken the sail out of all other contenders for the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) title.
With another Ballon d’Or award appearing on the horizon, and a second straight World Cup title to the bargain, plus the possibility of even playing at the next edition in 2030, can there be any logical argument contradicting my submission that Lionel Messi is the best of them all?
