Former Portugal footballer Deco claims that Argentina won the 2022 World Cup because of superstar Lionel Messi, whereas Portugal does not have a player of that caliber.
In an interview with the Argentine publication TR Sports, Deco stated that the current generation of Portuguese players is the best in the entire history of this squad. In spite of this, they were eliminated from the World Cup 2022 quarterfinals owing to the absence of a great player to serve as the team’s captain. “But we don’t have Messi,” Deco continued. “We don’t have him.” “Messi was the reason Argentina was victorious.”
At the World Cup in 2022, Portugal was eliminated in the quarterfinals after suffering a loss to Morocco by the score of 0-1. The team’s captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, had to come on as a substitute in both of the knockout stages, and he did not contribute to the team’s scoring when he did.
Deco is one of the 22 players who have shared the field with Messi and Ronaldo at some point in their respective careers. Between the years 2004 and 2008, he was Messi’s teammate at Barcelona, while between 2003 and 2010, he was Ronaldo’s teammate on the Portuguese national team. After his playing career ended, Deco transitioned into management, most recently taking over for Jordi Cruyff as the sporting director of Barcelona.
Eight of the 22 players who have played with the two superstars stated above give Messi a higher rating, while only five give Ronaldo the higher rating. This “score” of 8-5 might also be the number of Ballon d’Or titles that these two players would earn, provided Lionel Messi is recognized for his feat in the 2022-2023 season.
Messi is currently in the lead to win this year’s Ballon d’Or award as a result of his performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in which he led Argentina to victory and was named the tournament’s best player. Kylian Mbappe was named the “scorer” of the World Cup, however France did not win the competition because they were defeated by Argentina in a penalty shootout. Even though he was a member of the Manchester City team that won the treble, Erling Haaland did not stand out in any of the important matches.
When asked about Messi’s greatness again, Deco stated that he was “of course the best in the world” in 2016. “But Messi trains himself like any other ordinary athlete, and Ronaldo is completely different,” Deco continued. “Ronaldo’s fitness is unimaginable because he works hard every day to be the best. He is competitive in all aspects of life.
