In his latest column for Tribalfootball.com, Valencia and Boca Juniors legend Dario Felman expresses his pride over Argentina's World Cup triumph, compares Leo Messi's team with past World Cup winners, tips Maximo Perrone for success at Manchester City and much, much more...
I AM A PROUD AND EMOTIONAL ARGENTINE TODAY
First of all, Happy New Year to everybody and their loved ones.
I'm seeing and experiencing some sweet and wonderful moments ('momentos lindos') regarding Argentinean football right up until now… since Argentina won the Word Cup so recently in 2022. Indeed, this includes the re-evaluation of Lionel Messi and his 15 years as a player for FC Barcelona. There are many people who didn't really believe in him… but now they are realizing he truly is a 'mago' (a magician). Messi is the Aladdin who rubs the lamp and a genie appears! Firstly, as a player and, secondly, as a good person… Messi has broken all the records.
At 35 years of age, Messi has brought joy to 45 million Argentineans, he made us 'vibrate' and let us enjoy our football with a passion! It's a 'sentimiento' that we Argentinians have for 'el fútbol'. We have truly discovered in Argentina who Messi really is now and what he means to us too. Leo Messi has finally achieved what he set out to do all along… we have witnessed this (bit by bit) over many years, regarding his successful trajectory as a player.
Regarding the manager Lionel Scaloni, he is a young manager who very few people believed in and he was criticized too…for shedding the Argentine squad of players who had pretty much finished their cycle as international players…including players who had lost the 2014 World Cup final. However, Scaloni did keep 'Messi' and 'Angel Di Maria' on from that previous period. Scaloni was also criticized by those who felt he really wasn't a manager and also he was criticized regarding his technical staff, who it was felt lacked experience on an international level.
The spectacular squad as a whole that Scaloni has chosen has justified the manager's faith in them as players of the Argentina squad. They have been united and magnificent too. I'm convinced that, at the very beginning of the World Cup tournament, Scaloni got the blackboard out and wrote in chalk for the squad that: "Messi is going to solve all our problems on the pitch, give the ball to him."
There were players in the Argentine squad like Alexis Mac Allister who were not really known internationally…before this World Cup… because they don't play for really big clubs. Mac Allister plays for Brighton in the Premier League, the English league which Scaloni rates highly and takes into account when choosing players.
I'm emotional because this World Cup was not won by Messi on his own but by the Argentine team as a whole, playing some really great football… some of the time. When there were difficult and challenging moments during matches, they knew how to overcome them too. What were the characteristics that the Argentinian players showed? It's what we have in Argentina when it comes to football: 'garras' (bite or edge), 'corazón', 'sentimiento' y 'pasión'.
WHY THIS WORLD CUP WINNING TEAM IS ARGENTINA'S GREATEST
Regarding the three World Cups won by Argentina (1978, 1986, 2022), I believe they set out a mandate, which was carried out…
The first step was "order" which 'nació' (was born) in 1978, thanks to the manager César 'El Flaco' Menotti. Up until that time, Argentine football had been disordered and Menotti gained international respect by getting the squad to play ordered football. It is worth remembering that the only Argentine player playing abroad at that time was called Mario Alberto Kempes. All the other players were playing in Argentina. The process actually began in 1974 and ended in 1978 with Argentina winning their first World Cup.
It's also worth remembering that Menotti left the 16 year old Diego Maradona out of the 1978 squad because the manager was thinking of a process in the long-term for Argentine football. Indeed, 'El Flaco' respected that process to plan and order for the long-term… not the short-term.
Regarding 1986, there is a very important secret to be shared. The Argentina manager Carlos 'Narigón' Bilardo was the only one who convinced Maradona (his number 10) that he was "the best player in the world" but he also convinced Maradona that he needed to train seriously, as the World Cup is a short tournament and every match is vital. In other words, if you lost a match or two…you could be out of the World Cup.
The result of Bilardo's talk was that Maradona went to Mexico a month before the World Cup started… with his personal trainer and his staff. Maradona really wanted to be a World champion, and he achieved it with a really, really great Argentine team! They remind me of the 2022 team, in many ways. Like I said before, Bilardo's talk with Maradona about training in 1986 before the tournament was key. Maradona was at his very best then and Bilardo made sure to get the very best out of him too.
In 1978 you have "order."
In 1986, you have the willingness "to train."
In 2022, the effect is paradoxical… as you have "conviction."
Scaloni was convinced and believed in his team, which he formed… despite a lot of criticism from all the Argentine press. A lot of people didn't believe in the team or the manager.
In my opinion, the Argentina team have won the World Cup 2022 on their own merits. They have won with the conviction of their manager that this was the right team for the tournament, including players who were not necessarily well known in Europe or even Argentina.
The knowledge came from Scaloni, who knew how to make a very strong team… plus the magician Messi rubbing his lamp every 10 minutes on the pitch! When the ball was passed to Messi, some special and distinctive things were often happening! Despite Messi being 35 years of age, the team backed him up in every match. The team made the most of having the best player (Messi) we have seen, over the last 15 years, on the pitch with them.
I don't know that I would say Messi is the best player of all time but he has been for the last 15 years, which is almost a generation. Finally, Messi is being recognized for his fantastic achievements overall and he won the World Cup 2022 with such humility too…which also now forms part of the history of Argentine football… meaning that the way he won it was special too.
Yes, I believe the World Cup 2022 Argentina team is the best in the history of Argentine football because it has re-vindicated a very special footballer… called Lionel Messi.
EMI MARTINEZ A GREAT GOALKEEPER - BUT NOT AT THE LEVEL OF MY OLD TEAMMATE
I would say the greatest Argentine goalkeeper was Hugo Orlando Gatti ('El Loco') who I played with at Boca Juniors in the historic epoch of the 1970s where we won a good few leagues… and the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Intercontinental too!
Gatti holds the record for most penalties stopped (26) and most matches played in the 'Primera División' de Argentina (765). Gatti didn't play in the 1978 World Cup Finals because he got a knee injury beforehand and Fillol took his place.
Gatti was ahead of his time, he was the only keeper I knew that played with his feet back in those days. In one match (a derby), one of the opposition fans threw a brush at him from the terraces…whereby 'el Loco' took up the brush and started to sweep his area! This sort of eccentric and spontaneous behaviour reminds me of Emi Martínez in a way.
At the end of the day, what do you want a goalkeeper for? The answer is for them to be at their very best for the 90 minutes of the match and to make sure the ball doesn't go in their net.
Emi Martínez was spectacular during the World Cup! He showed up in the crucial moments. In extra time, during the World Cup 2022 final, France's final attack was a key moment. Had France scored it would have meant 90% of the final rested on that moment rather than 50%! As it was, Emi Martinez showed his personality, yet again, in that key moment and the goalkeeper saved Argentina from certain defeat.
'Bono', the goalkeeper for Morocco, was spectacular in the World Cup but I would like to see how he would have coped in the World Cup final as Emi Martinez did.
Imagine the situation, Argentina are winning 2-0, France equalize with 2 goals in less than 2 minutes, then it is 3-2 to Argentina…then France equalize and it is 3-3! Argentina nearly lost at the end of extra-time but Martinez saved them from certain defeat. Then, the match goes to penalties and Emi Martínez showed what a great keeper he truly is. Personality is everything. Emi Martínez's cunning in the penalty shootout comes from the 'barrio'…this 'picardia' is not something that you can buy, it comes from having played football in the mean streets, where rocks replaced goalposts and there was no hot water in those types of barrios either. All of these conditions form a goalkeeper and are part of why he is such a great goalkeeper too.
His provocations regarding Kylian Mbappé and mind games with Aurelien Tchouaméni during the penalty shootout (throwing the ball away) were not malicious or with 'mala leche'… Martínez is a winner and he wants to win! Of course, the best and ideal combination is a good goalkeeper being a good person too.
However, I don't think Martínez is happy at Aston Villa at the moment in the Premier League… as he is not playing much. But if Martinez gives everything in training at Aston Villa as he has with Argentina, I calculate Unai Emery will pick up on this and will not leave him on the bench for long. Emery is a very watchful manager with all the teams he has managed… and sometimes matches are "won" during the week in training rather than on the day of the match.
Aston Villa are in a good moment now and are growing and are slowly going up the table from the lowly position they were in…before Emery arrived. I believe that Martínez is a goalkeeper with a lot of experience and he has earned his stripes and medals too. Emery has to decide whether he is a good or a bad goalkeeper between the posts… rather than whether he is a good or bad person, which should not come into it. Martínez should be grateful to Villa and give his very best for the trust they have put in him.
SOMETHING HAPPENED BETWEEN DESCHAMPS AND BENZEMA
Something happened and we're probably never going to find out the real truth of what really happened either. You have to have a lot of personality as a manager to leave Karim Benzema out of the squad. As the winner of the Balon d'Or 2022, you are leaving out Karim Benzema… who is actually the best player in the world at the moment!!
On the other hand, it could be that something grave happened between the player and the manager on a personal level. Or it could be that Benzema's injury meant that he wasn't fully recovered to play more at the World Cup. I find it odd that Didier Deschamps left Benzema out... considering other squads did not exile their injured players at this World Cup, including Argentina.
However, we do not have proof of anything regarding the situation…except of the hearsay of some journalists with relations with the French squad. Firstly, I would have kept Benzema in the squad, training with them. It's just not the same for a squad to be training without Benzema. He was in his best moment and he made that group of players what it was.
I believe that Deschamps will not continue as the manager of France. It's the end of a cycle. He has won a World Cup, been a finalist in the most recent one and has won other trophies too. Regarding the World Cup final, Deschamps did show a lot of personality when taking Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembélé off… before the first half had even finished Deschamps's decisions nearly paid off as France got the two goals back in the second half! However, France ended up losing on penalties to Argentina and people tend to forget, with time, the teams that end up as the losing finalists of a World Cup tournament.
Funnily enough, one of the best matches of the World Cup, for me, was England vs France. That match made my hair stand on end! France played very well and Benzema was not there either. Both teams played attacking football. It was a 'hermoso' and spectacular match to enjoy! It's a football match to watch again.
MAXIMO PERRONE IS READY FOR MAN CITY
He's barely 20 years old and he is a very interesting left-footed midfielder. He is one of those left-footers that are distinctive and with a lot of quality. He was formed at Velez Sarsfield, which is a serious and well-organised club in Argentina when it comes to truly developing players. They have produced some really good players there. On an international level, Perrone has played for the under-16s and the under-20s for Argentina.
There are two things that stand out for me regarding Perrone. He's a left-footer that stands out for creating spaces and he is also great with long passes, which are really difficult to do well. By creating spaces, Maximo improves the team. Why? Because there will always be a space for a player to be free.
Perhaps he would be compared to a left-footed version of Pablo Aimar, someone who is not a natural goalscorer but creates interesting spaces and makes great passes and creates goal chances for the team by breaking defensive lines. Yes, I do believe Maximo Perrone is ready to play for Manchester City.
CHELSEA A GOOD FIT FOR ENZO FERNANDEZ
Enzo Fernández has been a wonderful discovery for all of us football fans who love to watch football… be it in a bar with friends or at home watching the match with the family. People were asking …who is he? He wasn't really known by the everyday fan before. It's true that Enzo Fernández had a great time at River Plate. The stats speak for themselves.
Yes, Chelsea would be amongst the clubs that are right for him because they have the finances to pay for his worth and they are a club that are always fighting for a trophy or title…be it in Europe or in the Premier League…despite Chelsea's ups and downs over the years.
This is the right time for Enzo Fernández to go to a bigger club because winning a World Cup speaks for itself. To go from Benfica to a big club in the Premier League, which is one of the best leagues in the world, it would be a step up for Enzo. 120 million euros? I think the price is very high ('una barbaridad') but that's modern football these days and Chelsea have the money to pay for that sort of quality.
CHOLO SIMEONE DESERVES PREMIER LEAGUE CHANCE
You can't argue with 'Cholo' Simeone given his achievements at Atlético Madrid, which must be a record. In historic terms, he has truly put the club in third place in terms of the big Spanish teams (after the big two). Also, Simeone has brought a lot of money to the club because Atletico have qualified for Europe many times during his time there. Out of respect, as a manager and as a person, he deserves to leave the club on a high and not out the back door.
However, football is capricious. Simeone is being judged at the moment for not bringing the best out of key players like João Félix. Simeone is demanding but perhaps he has not connected with João Félix on a personal level, he hasn't reached his corazón. The criticism is that Simeone plays defensive football rather than attacking football.
If this season is the end of Simeone's cycle at Atlético , I really hope that he will leave with the full gratitude of the club and that the end will be a dignified one, which is the least he deserves regarding everything he has given and achieved at Atlético Madrid.
I don't see Simeone as a manager at FC Barcelona, they have a different style of playing football and another vision too. Perhaps he could be a manager at Inter Milan but I would really like to see Diego Simeone managing an English club. Indeed, English football has the footballing qualities that he has produced at Atlético Madrid, speed and sacrifice. Premier League footballers play very well but they also know about sacrifice too.
