Eleven years in the past, Sachin Tendulkar walked right into a cricket World Cup remaining at his residence floor in Mumbai hoping to seize the one trophy which had eluded him in an in any other case legendary profession. Tendulkar was the main run-scorer within the sport throughout all codecs and the one males’s cricketer on the time to attain a double century in a one-day match. He was enjoying in his remaining World Cup match and was India’s main run-scorer within the event. Tendulkar solely managed to get 18 runs in that remaining however India received the competition and gave their icon the last word prize.
On Sunday, December 18, Argentina legend Lionel Messi will stroll into his final World Cup match. It’ll be a remaining, towards defending World Cup champions France. Messi is Argentina’s main scorer on this event with 5 targets, and he’s assisted on three extra. He’s achieved every little thing else within the sport apart from profitable a World Cup.
The parallels between Tendulkar and Messi don’t finish there. Each have been close to the top of their careers getting into their final World Cup (Tendulkar was 37, Messi is 35). Each have been long-time fixtures of their respective nationwide groups (Tendulkar was in his twenty second 12 months, Messi is in his seventeenth). And each had a protracted listing of worldwide failures.
Tendulkar performed in 5 World Cups previous to 2011, dropping the 2003 remaining to Australia and a 1996 semifinal to Sri Lanka. The 1996 match truly needed to suspended after the house Indian crowd began rioting within the stands. Messi seemingly couldn’t win with Argentina. He had failed to interrupt by way of in 4 World Cups previous to the 2022 version, together with a 1-0 loss to Germany within the 2014 remaining. He had succumbed in quite a few Copa America matches, highlighted by a missed penalty in 2015 remaining towards Chile.
It’s necessary to notice each gamers did additionally win some worldwide competitions forward of their remaining World Cup video games. Tendulkar received an Asia Cup and Champions Trophy with India, though each pale compared to the 2011 World Cup win. Messi captured a gold medal on the 2008 Summer time Olympics with the under-23 facet, however bagged a a lot larger worldwide prize in 2021 when Argentina beat Brazil within the Copa America remaining. Right here’s what it meant to the group to offer Messi his first worldwide trophy with the senior group.
With the worldwide monkey off his again, Messi is having his greatest 12 months with the nationwide group up to now. He’s scored 16 worldwide targets this 12 months in 13 whole matches, which is probably the most ever in a calendar 12 months for the star.
Tendulkar beat Australia within the 2011 quarterfinal and Sri Lanka within the remaining at his final World Cup. Messi received’t have fairly as clear a narrative right here, because the Germany group that had lengthy been a thorn in his facet did not get out of the group stage. Argentina did lose to France within the knockout spherical on the 2018 World Cup, so there’s nonetheless some revenge potential.
Messi received’t be bothered about that. He and his teammates will solely need the main target to be on this match. It’ll be the final World Cup match of Messi’s storied profession and it’ll be his final shot on the solely trophy he hasn’t received but. Will this be the last word storybook ending for arguably the best participant of his technology?