Argentina were the champions of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Not surprisingly, it came with a lot of ups and downs. The road to excellence is known to be filled with rocky points, one with enormous sacrifices.
Sometimes, it also comes with regrets of things that did not turn out the way it was envisioned.
Ikeja Bird looks at three major regrets that characterized Argentina’s success in Qatar.
Maradona’s Absence
Diego Maradona is loved by many football fans all over the world. He is considered among the football greats. In 1986, he led Argentina to their second World Cup trophy, sealing his admiration in the minds of all Argentinean.
He had hoped, prior to his passing, to once again see Argentina lift the world cup.
Supportive to the new generation of country players, he had also been a source of inspiration.
As a young player, Lionel Messi signaled that Maradona was his idol. He wanted to win the world cup just like him.
In 2010, Maradona took the Argentina players to the world cup. Despite his tactical formation that worked in some matches, they eventually crashed out at the knockout stage.
Today, Argentina would have hoped he was alive to share in the joy of lifting the precious cup for the third time in history.
Aguero’s Forced Retirement
Kun Aguero had a sterling career before a sudden heart problem that forced him to resign.
If he did not have to quit football, he would have been part of this Argentina’s side that lifted the trophy.
He still seemed fit, looking like his old self but he could no longer compete.
Messi on the Verge of Retirement
Lionel Messi had indicated that he would continue to play for Argentina. Currently at the age of 35, it is obvious that he won’t be playing for long.
Argentina would definitely regret not having Messi playing as World Cup champion for another decade. That dream would have been possible if he had won in 2014.
