Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given has expressed his desire to see Lionel Messi lift the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup.
After coming up from the Barcelona academy, Lionel Messi spent most of his career with Catalan giants FC Barcelona. The striker won all the possible trophies for them before signing for Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi had to wait fifteen years before winning an important trophy with his Argentina team. He finally managed to win it when Argentina defeated Brazil in the Copa América final. Messi had a stellar tournament and finished as the winner of the golden boot, the highest assist provider and was awarded the Most Valuable Player.
The Argentine striker then added another trophy to his cabinet, earlier this season. Argentina defeated Italy, champion of the European Championship, in the Finalissima. Although Messi did not score in the match, he did provide two assists and was named the man of the match.
Shay Given hailed Lionel Messi as the best
Now the only trophy that Lionel Messi has failed to win in his career is the World Cup. He will have one last chance in Qatar to fulfill his dreams. And former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given wants to see the same.
Speaking about Lionel Messi at a recent event, Shay Given said: “We know that Maradona is famous in Argentina for winning the World Cup with the same country, if Messi could get his hands on him it would be a fairy tale.” (via balls.ie)
Argentina won their last World Cup when one of the game’s greats, Diego Maradona, bested them in 1986. And at this point, he is still considered probably Argentina’s best. Shay Given mentioned this and opined that Lionel Messi is the best player for him.
Dado then explained that if Messi manages to win the next World Cup in Qatar 2022, he will carry his legacy even beyond Maradona’s. But even if he didn’t, the Argentine superstar will still be the greatest player of all time for the former Manchester City goalkeeper.
Now winning the World Cup in Qatar will not be an easy task for Messi. However, one thing is certain, Argentina will arrive in Qatar as one of the favorites to lift the trophy. Lionel Scaloni’s team has not tasted defeat in the last 35 games. They are currently one of the fittest teams in the world.
Messi’s new injury
Just like Argentina, Lionel Messi is also in great shape. The Argentine striker has scored twelve goals and provided fourteen assists for PSG so far. He has also scored nine goals in his last three games in the Argentine shirt.
However, the Argentine striker recently suffered a setback when PSG confirmed that he will not feature in the upcoming game after suffering an Achilles tendon injury. Fortunately for the fans in Argentina, Lionel Messi’s injury is not serious and he will mostly be back within a week.
Now Messi will hope to be back in top form before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while the last dance awaits him.
