Even if you’re not a soccer fan, the World Cup is impossible to ignore. The tournament will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, and analysts and fans are already talking and speculating about a possible winner. Of course, the players themselves are no exception to this rule, but neither are former players and former champions.
Mario Kempes, striker and winner of the 1978 World Cup with the Argentina national team, gave his view and opinion on the future of Lionel Messi and company in this new edition of the tournament.
Kempes analyzes Argentina
With two goals from “El Matador” and one from Daniel Bertoni, Argentina was crowned world champion for the first time in its history after beating the Netherlands 3-1 in the final.
In Mexico ’86, Diego Maradona arrived to lift the Albiceleste’s second cup, and in Qatar 2022, Leo Messi ended the drought and fulfilled his lifelong dream and that of millions of Argentines 36 years after Diego’s feat.
Now, in this new edition, Lionel Scaloni’s team will have to defend their title, and Kempes gave his opinion on Argentina’s current situation.
Saying he feels “hopeful,” he assured that “the Argentine team’s play continues to be very, very similar to what they did in Qatar, at least in the qualifying matches we’ve been watching,” Mario said in an interview on Rodrigo Rea’s YouTube channel. “And you can see that they’re still hungry, they still want to be protagonists, because Argentina is always a protagonist.”
Kempes, who also wore the blue and white jersey in Germany ’74 and Spain ’82, was also asked about current captain Lionel Messi, who has cast doubt on his presence at the 2026 World Cup. However, the former world champion said he sees him as “more rested” since he started playing for Inter Miami: “While it’s true that MLS is an important league, it’s not as big as it is in Europe, for example. But as long as he remains enthusiastic and continues to take the giant steps he’s taking in the United States, I think he’ll be important.”
“He’s important whether he’s playing or supporting. We don’t know if he’ll play from the start or if they’ll put him in for a while. It depends on how his body reacts. Let’s not forget that there are still a couple of months to go,” he concluded.
Throughout history, only eight national teams have won the championship: Brazil (5), Germany and Italy (4), Argentina (3), Uruguay and France (2), and England and Spain (1)
Meanwhile, in this new World Cup, which will feature 48 countries, the Argentina national team will be in Group J, alongside Austria, Algeria, and Jordan. They will make their debut against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16. They will then face Austria on Monday, June 22, and Jordan on Friday, June 26.
The Albiceleste’s challenge will be to defend the cup they won after defeating France in a nail-biting penalty shootout. However, only two teams have ever won two consecutive tournaments: Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). Will Messi and company join them?
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