FIFA World Cup Underway, but before Argentina and Portugal take the field, most of the attention will be focused on Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo. More than two decades after emerging on the global stage, these two icons remain the biggest talking points in world football.
Messi is entering the tournament in a very different position than four years ago. By leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar, he achieved a major honor which had eluded him for a long time. The pressure is not the same as before, but the passion and enthusiasm remain. Whenever Messi wears an Argentina shirt, the atmosphere is unique, with thousands of fans turning the stadium into a sea of ​​blue and white. However, the story is different for Ronaldo. The World Cup is the big trophy missing from his illustrious career.
former captain of india Baichung Bhutiawho will be part of the FIFA World Cup broadcast team for ZEE5 and Unite8, spoke exclusively to Hindustan Times Digital about the tournament, sharing his thoughts on the adversity facing Messi and Ronaldo as they prepare for another shot at football’s biggest prize.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Argentina are entering the World Cup as defending champions, but several key players, including Lionel Messi, are now playing out of Europe’s top leagues. Do you think this team still has the potential to retain the title?
Definitely. I think they still have almost the entire core of the team from the last World Cup that they won. Apart from Di Maria, who has retired, most of the players are still there and performing well. Alvarez, in particular, has been fantastic for Atletico Madrid. The great thing is that the World Cup is being played in North America and the weather and conditions should be very favorable for the South American teams. As their coach said, they are not going to win this World Cup; They’re going there to defend it. This only shows how strong and confident this team is. There is also great unity among them. In the last World Cup, they played for Messi, and they will play for Messi this time too, but the bonding and togetherness within the team will be very important. If you look at some of the other favorite teams like Brazil and France, they are great teams, but sometimes it feels like there is something missing in terms of team spirit and unity. Argentina doesn’t seem to have that problem. They look like a complete team, very balanced, and they have a great leader in Messi who will help them save the World Cup once again.
Portugal has arguably one of the strongest midfields in world football. Does it feel like this is their best chance yet to finally win the World Cup?
I think if you look at Portugal right now, it’s probably their best team. They also won the Nations League, and they look like a very strong side. As you said, their midfield is one of the best in the world. Bruno Fernandes has had a fantastic Premier League season, and he has some excellent players in that area of ​​the pitch. However, going forward, I still have some doubts about the finishing and striking department. Had Ronaldo been 10 years younger, and had this team around him, I think Portugal would have been the clear favorite to win the World Cup. They are still among the favourites, but I think they are missing that final edge in attack.
He will definitely play for Ronaldo. Everyone wants to help him win the trophy which has eluded him yet. But when you compare the situations of Messi and Ronaldo, I think the feeling towards Messi is different within the Argentina camp. It feels very natural and real. With Portugal, the players will say Ronaldo means everything to them and they want to win it for him, and I’m sure there is respect. But whether that emotional connection is the same as Argentina’s players have for Messi, I’m not so sure. This is just my personal opinion. If you are comparing the two, I think Argentina is an extra 1% stronger in terms of emotion and cohesion in the team compared to Portugal.
There has been much debate over Cristiano Ronaldo’s role in the team, with some suggesting that Portugal would be better off using him as an impact option rather than a starter. What are your thoughts on that argument?
I think it will be very difficult to keep a player like Ronaldo on the bench. I really don’t see that happening. Either he doesn’t play at all, or he starts. I think he will be in the starting eleven in most of the matches and depending on the game situation they may remove him later. Knowing Ronaldo, he is not the kind of player who likes to sit on the bench and wait for someone to come on the bench. He will always want to start over. Whatever his age, whatever his form, if Ronaldo is in the team, he would like to be in the starting lineup. And I think Portugal will respect that. So my feeling is that he will start the majority of their matches, and then, if necessary, they can manage his minutes by removing him at the end.
Given their ages and where they are in their careers, do players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar need to play a slightly different role at this World Cup and allow the younger generation to carry more of the burden?
No, I think Messi and Ronaldo will still be the main men for their teams, whether people admit it or not.
Neymar’s situation is a little different as he is still struggling with injuries. I can relate to this because, towards the end of my career, at about the same age as Neymar, I too had a calf muscle injury. This happened when we qualified for the Asian Cup and I could barely play. I could play only 15-20 minutes in the final match. Shin injuries are difficult because they come back again and again and take a lot out of you. Therefore, I think it will be difficult for Neymar, especially in the early stages of the tournament, and he may not have that big an impact for Brazil in this World Cup.
As far as Messi and Ronaldo are concerned, they will still be at the center of everything. Messi’s role is very different. Playing in MLS and North American conditions suits him. He can slow the game down, maintain possession, create chances and set the tempo from deep areas.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, is a different kind of player. Portugal will try to create opportunities for him and play to his strengths. He may not be able to control games like Messi, but he knows how to get into goalscoring positions, and when he has chances, he can still finish them.
On paper, France have quality and depth in every area of ​​the pitch. Do you see them as favourites? Which teams do you think can pose the biggest threat to them?
If you look at France on paper, they probably have the strongest team of the tournament and some of the best players. But as I’ve said before, I’m not a big fan of Didier Deschamps’ approach. The type of football that France plays does not always match the quality of their players. When they won the World Cup, it was a different team and a different situation. But if you look at France in previous World Cups and even the European Championship, they have often tried to play a more defensive style. Sometimes, when your biggest strength is in attack, you need to play to that strength. We saw it in the last World Cup final. Argentina completely outclassed them for almost 70 minutes. It was only after Mbappé scored that France began to attack, look more dangerous and almost won the World Cup. France has some of the best attacking players in the world in Mbappe, Dembele and Olisse. These are players who can create and score goals on their own. When you have that kind of firepower, playing too defensively can sometimes backfire. The best managers usually build their style based on their team’s strengths, and for France, that strength is clearly in attack.
We have seen many national teams increasingly relying on young talent. Do you think this World Cup could mark a change, with a new generation of stars at the centre?
I think so too. There are a lot of exciting young players coming through. What everyone is talking about is Lamin Yamal. They have a great team in Spain and are one of the favorites to win the World Cup. The conditions in the US should also suit them as the weather is largely similar to what many of their players are accustomed to.
Spain is also a team that likes to keep the ball. When you can control possession and dictate the pace of the game, it gives you a huge advantage in tournaments like this. So I think Lamine Yamal is a player who can make a really big impact.
Haaland will make an impact, there’s no doubt, but I think players like Lamin Yamal and Julian Alvarez will have an even bigger impact at this World Cup.
Who is your choice for the Golden Boot this time?
A lot of players’ names come to mind, but Harry Kane would be at the top of my list. He has proven himself everywhere and has had another great season with Bayern Munich. He is England’s first-choice penalty taker and is also dangerous from free-kicks, giving him a huge advantage in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe is another obvious contender. France will create a lot of chances and are also likely to take penalties and free-kicks. If you want to be the top scorer at the World Cup, it definitely helps to have your team’s dead-ball specialist. Lamine Yamal is another player to watch. So for me, Kane, Mbappé and Yamal are among the strongest contenders to finish as the tournament’s top goalscorer.
Looking beyond the traditional favourites, which team do you believe has the potential to be the surprise package of this World Cup?
I really see Brazil as the hidden horse of this World Cup. Usually, whenever we talk about the tournament, Brazil is one of the strong contenders, but this time the expectations are not that high.
They have a very good team and more importantly, a coach like Ancelotti, who is one of the best man-managers in football. With players like Vinicius Junior and other players who thrive when playing with freedom and confidence, I think Ancelotti is a perfect fit for this group. The biggest difference is that Brazil is coming into this World Cup with much less pressure than usual. In previous tournaments there was always an expectation that they had to win. This time, most pundits and experts probably won’t even have him in their top six favourites.
