After leading Argentina to a 2022 World Cup title in a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France, Lionel Messi finally achieved the one goal that had eluded him throughout his legendary career. However, the path to glory was paved with immense hardship, particularly during the 2018 edition where the team faced heavy scrutiny.
On June 16, 2018, in their group stage opener, Argentina faced Iceland, who were making their absolute World Cup debut. What appeared to be a straightforward win on paper resulted in a 1-1 draw, with Messi at the center of the criticism after failing to convert a penalty that could have secured three points for his side.
In a recent interview with Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman on the podcast Miro de Atras, Messi revealed that he had obsessively practiced his penalties leading up to the tournament. “I took 300,000 penalties against Paton (Guzman) at the training ground in Russia… I would arrive and tell him, ‘Get in goal, look, it’s going there.’ Some across the goal, others opening my foot…” Messi recalled.
However, when the moment of truth arrived against Hannes Halldorsson, Messi admitted he got scared at the moment to use the technique he had mastered in training. “I had the first penalty against Iceland. I had been opening my foot against Paton; every one of them was going into the top corner, he couldn’t save any,” Messi continued.
“And when they came out, they came out with power. When I went to kick it, I tried to open my foot and I just gave it to his hands. I got scared; I didn’t follow through with the strike,” Leo concluded.
The low point of Argentina’s 2018 World Cup campaign
The tournament in Russia remains a period the Argentine squad and coaching staff would likely prefer to forget. Following the draw with Iceland, Argentina were dismantled 3-0 by Croatia, leaving the side—then led by Jorge Sampaoli—on the brink of elimination.
A narrow 2-1 victory over Nigeria, featuring a Messi opener and a dramatic late winner from Marcos Rojo, salvaged a spot in the Round of 16. However, they were eventually knocked out in a 4-3 thriller by eventual champions France.
The exit sparked a massive overhaul in the national team; Sampaoli was dismissed, and veteran mainstays like Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero, and Gonzalo Higuain saw their international cycles come to an end.
Despite the intense media backlash at the time, Messi remained with the program, eventually finding redemption by winning the 2021 Copa America and the historic 2022 World Cup.