For us Argentina fans, we've seen a bunch of players being labelled "The next MARADONA". It happened with TEVEZ, AIMAR, RIQUELME and a few others. But no one has come as close as MESSI. Game after game for Barcelona he's scored goals and provided assists and at times single handidly won matches for them. In short, he's Barcelona's hero. However, if one was to take a quick glance at Lionel's statistics with Barcelona and that with the National Team, you wouldn't say it's the same player. People constantly argue and bash this kid from Rosario because he isn't scoring goals for fun with Argentina, but let's take a look at the Top 10 goalscoring lists for the Albicelestes.

1. Gabriel BATISTUTA
56 Goals, 78 Matches

2. Hernan CRESPO
36 Goals, 64 Matches

3. Diego MARADONA
34 Goals, 91 Matches

4. Luis ARTIME
24 Goals, 25 Matches

TIED FOR 5th PLACE
5. Leopoldo LUQUE
22 Goals, 45 Matches

TIED FOR 5th PLACE
5. Daniel PASSARELLA
22 Goals, 70 Matches

TIED FOR 7th PLACE
7. José SANFILIPPO
21 Goals, 29 Matches

TIED FOR 7th PLACE
7. Herminio MASANTONIO
21 Goals, 19 Matches

9. Mario KEMPES
20 Goals, 43 Matches

TIED FOR 10th PLACE
10. Norberto MENDEZ
19 Goals, 31 Matches

TIED FOR 10th PLACE
10. José Manuel MORENO
19 Goals, 34 Matches

TIED FOR 10th PLACE
10. René PONTONI
19 Goals, 19 Matches

2007 was a big year for La Pulga in terms of goal scoring with the NT. And I'm crediting that to the formation Basile used(well basically continued from what Pekerman started) as well as the players around him. I know statistics don't always show the truth, but 6 goals in 2007 with the National Team isn't bad at all. At times, he's come up pretty clutch for us, scoring when needed(Uruguay at home, Venezuela away and Colombia away, even if we did lose that match). Not to mention against Spain where the defence was absolutely horrible(even if it was a penalty, he was calm under whatever pressure there was and scored it).

We can all sit here, chat and pass the bucket when it comes to debating on MESSI not showing up with the National Team, but MESSI is only 6 goals away from entering the Top 10 goalscoring in the history of the NT and he's only 22. Only 6... and he isn't even an out and out striker. What about the other #10's that we've had or players that were supposed to lead this team to glory? ORTEGA, D'ALESSANDRO, AIMAR, RIQUELME, anyone? Fact is, none of them can single handidly(or were single handidly able) to lead the team to glory like MARADONA did. Nor should they have to do it alone. They need to have the right players and the right formations to succeed. Right now, Messi isn't surrounded with that.

Guaranteed if TEVEZ doesn't get red carded in those two games which cost us valuable points and if he scores that penalty against Ecuador, all this talk about MESSI not showing up with the National Team wouldn't be where it's at today. Not because MESSI isn't underachieving, but because those mistakes by TEVEZ made it that much more difficult for the team to qualify for the World Cup. So naturally, the blame goes to the person who's supposed to be your best player. It was the case with VERON in 2002, RIQUELME and now MESSI. Let's not forget MESSI is the #10 and with this #10 comes great responsibility and pressure. The pressure got to ORTEGA, it got to RIQUELME and so on. Did MESSI ask to be the #10? Last I heard, he initially said no, but later accepted. So of course he deserves some of the blame, but to be in the position he is in now(in terms of pressure) at that age, people need to realise it's incredibly tough. Especially when you have your own fans turning against you(no one here on the blog in particular, just people in Argentina).

Is the pressure getting to MESSI? No doubt, but it doesn't mean he doesn't care about doing well with the National Team. Some people here in the past have talked about MESSI's passion and commitment for the National Team. I'm pretty sure if he didn't care about the team, he wouldn't have taken time off during the beginning of the season to go to Argentina and train for the match against Brazil. I'm sure if he didn't care, he wouldn't have went to the Olympics. And I'm sure that if he didn't care, he would have accepted Spain's offer to play for them instead of playing for Argentina. Go back and watch the match against Germany from this month(as boring as it was) and you'll see MESSI getting frustrated with the game when he almost gets himself red carded. The first was a yellow card for a harsh and late tackle in the second half. Or how about when he jumped to try and stop/control the ball with his hands? I'm sure if he didn't mind not doing well with Argentina he wouldn't have risked getting himself red carded.

Some people need to wake up and realise that whether they like it or not, our best shot at the moment for us to win the World Cup is for MESSI to flip the switch, grab this team from the hell hole it's in(or from the lowest point this team has been in ages... whichever analogy you prefer) and lead it to victory.

Argentina Team Profile – 2010 FIFA World Cup

Argentina – The country, the football

The Argentine Republic, popularly known as Argentina, is among the top 10 largest territories in the world. Having 23 provinces – and a self-directed city (Buenos Aires) – Argentina is the biggest land among Spanish-speaking countries, with an estimated total area of 2,766,890 km2.
The South American giant country ranks 33rd in the world when it comes to reckoning the population, as its inhabitants are said to surpass the number of 40,000,000. InArgentina, freedom of religion is a characteristic granted by their Constitution; but however, Roman Catholicism seems to be the major religion, being practiced by over 70% ofArgentina’s residents.
Like almost everywhere on the planet, football appears to be Argentina’s favorite sport, and their love for the game might partly come from the fact that their national football team – known as the Albicelestes (White and Sky blue), or La Selección – is one of the most successful teams in the world.
Over the years, the Albicelestes have been bettering their name in football, winning 25 major international titles; nevertheless, their two best moments in their history were certainly in 1978 and in 1986, when they brought home their two only FIFA World Cup trophies.
Now, several years later, Argentine football fans can have a deep breath, as their players have already qualified for the South African 2010 FIFA World Cup, but what a dramatic qualification it was! In any case, they totally know that what is ahead of them is much more important than what they have experienced previously.

Argentina – The road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals

The South American qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa went on through round-by-round fixtures, consisting of 10 teams battling it out for tickets to the finals. The 4 top teams were promised an automatic place in the tournament’s group stages, whereas the 5th placed team was destined to face the 4th placed team from the CONCACAF qualification in a two-legged play-off.
Obviously, Argentina knew that this was not a joke, and that therefore, their best was needed for their own sake.
Beneficially, the Albicelestes started their campaign in the World Cup qualifiers on a good note, defeating Chile 2-0 in Buenos Aires, thanks to a double from Riquelme.
Argentina’s wonder kid Lionel Messi then got his first goal of the qualification in his country’s next 2-0 victory, this time against Venezuela, away from home.
The South American giants were however shocked by Colombia, who beat them 2-1 in the 4th Round, despite having won 3-0 against Bolivia earlier on in the 3rd Round.
Soon after, there were fears in the hearts of Argentine supporters, giving that their side had resumed their run in the qualifiers by having 4 more winless games; being incapable of imposing theirselves over Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.
Lionel Messi and Aguero finally came to the rescue of the Albicelestes in the 9th Round, powering Argentina to a 2-1 home victory against Uruguay, before Chile humbled them 1-0 at the Estadio Nacional, in Santiago.
Following Argentina’s unsatisfying campaign in the South American qualifiers ahead of the World Cup, there were speculations whether the Albicelestes would really make it the tournament’s finals in South Africa.
In November 2008, legend and former Argentina player Diego Maradona was named as the new Argentina coach, and in truth, his introduction as a manager was not only the start of a new life for him, but also the beginning of an unforgettable story for the team.
The Albicelestes had a wonderful first match result under Diego Armando Maradona, crushing Venezuela 4-0 with 3 goals coming from Tévez, Rodríguez and Agüero, afterLionel Messi had scored his side’s opener in his number 10 jersey which had been assigned to him for the first time ever in his career.
The Argentines were looking forward to obtaining more great results in their upcoming matches; however, they were astonishingly trounced 6-1 by Bolivia away fromhome in Round 12.
3 more losses in their next 4 games highly jeopardized the Albicelestes chances of participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup; yet, dramatic victories in their last 2 qualifying games against Peru and Uruguay saw them secure the fourth and last automatic place (from the CONMEBOL zone) in the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals with 28 points.
Result of qualifiers:
Round 1: Argentina 2-0 Chile
Round 2: Venezuela 0-2 Argentina
Round 3: Argentina 3-0 Bolivia
Round 4: Colombia 2-1 Argentina
Round 5: Argentina 1-1 Ecuador
Round 6: Brazil 0-0 Argentina
Round 7: Argentina 1-1 Paraguay
Round 8: Peru 1-1 Argentina
Round 9: Argentina 2-1 Uruguay
Round 10: Chile 1-0 Argentina
Round 11: Argentina 4-0 Venezuela
Round 12: Bolivia 6-1 Argentina
Round 13: Argentina 1-0 Colombia
Round 14: Ecuador 2-0 Argentina
Round 15: Argentina 1-3 Brazil
Round 16: Paraguay 1-0 Argentina
Round 17: Argentina 2-1 Peru
Round 18: Uruguay 0-1 Argentina

Argentina – 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage

Despite their poor form during the South American World Cup qualifiers, Argentina still managed to land in Pot 1 ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s final draw.

 

Argentina is often observed as one of the most likely teams to reach a FIFA World Cup final, but in reality, how great have they been in their football history? Below is the record of the Albicelestes in the tournament:

2010: Qualified as participants
2006, 1998, 1966: Quarterfinals
2002, 1962, 1958, 1934: Round 1
1994: Round of 16
1990, 1930: Second Place
1986, 1978: Champions
1982, 1974: Round 2

Goalkeepers: Sergio ROMERO, Mariano ANDUJAR, Diego POZO
Defenders: Nicolas BURDISSO, Clemente RODRIGUEZ, Martin DEMICHELIS, Ariel GARCE, Gabriel HEINZE, Nicolas OTAMENDI, Walter SAMUEL
Midfielders: Jonas GUTIERREZ, Javier MASCHERANO, Juan Sebastian VERON, Angel DI MARIA, Mario BOLATTI, Maxi RODRIGUEZ, Javier PASTORE
Forwards: Lionel MESSI, Gonzalo HIGUAIN, Carlos TEVEZ, Diego MILITO, Sergio AGUERO, Martin PALERMO