Mates, mate and freedom: How Argentina built their World Cup around Messi

There was a moment, after Argentina came back from 2-0 down to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, when Lionel Messi simply could not stop crying. There was a touch of celebration but also something more raw than that. He had already cried once this tournament, after hearing of a complication with his father's health following the opening match. This time, his tears came from relief — not from escaping defeat against Egypt, but relief he hadn't let his teammates down after missing a penalty that, for a while, threatened to end Argentina's tournament. For Messi right now, the emotions arrive tangled together: relief, pressure, family, the crowd, teammates who love him and want — more than anything — to see him win again. This may be his last World Cup, though who knows. But somewhere in the middle of that rollercoaster there is also enormous happiness for a man who has finally found the perfect context: a football team built to his measure. All for one and one for all. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni put it best before the Switzerland quarter-final. "The best moments of all, by far, are celebrations of the group. I coach for this, not because I like a 4-3-3," he said. "I like drinking mate [a South American tea] with my friends and players, sharing a barbecue, playing truco [a card game], as we have always done." It could have been Messi speaking. He is stretching his career out for more of these moments. In doing so he has become, again, something close to the young man who left Rosario — deeply Argentine, surrounded by mates and mate, having rediscovered under Scaloni the pleasure of competing alongside people who think like him. Make no mistake: this Argentina squad is built around Messi. It is built to give the 39-year-old the best chance of winning a second successive World Cup. England v Argentina, FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, 15 July, 20:00 BST. Watch on iPlayer, listen on Sounds. Follow live on broadcaster One and broadcaster iPlayer from 19:00 BST, with full commentary on broadcaster Radio 5 Live. Why do Argentina sing about England and the Falklands? Walked for 47% of the World Cup — the evolution of Messi. De Paul friendship and a 'gang protecting its leader' Rodrigo de Paul has become, in this Argentina squad, what Jose Manuel Pinto once was at Barcelona, or Luis Suarez later became: the teammate with whom Messi instantly feels at home. Their bond was forged on international duty. Until then, the midfielder's only connection to Messi had been asking for a photo after a Valencia–Barcelona match, which he proudly posted on social media. One afternoon, he noticed Messi leave training alone, looking subdued. Concerned, De Paul waited about 40 minutes before knocking on his door. "Fancy a mate and a game of truco?" A friendship began, with its own strict etiquette. Mate, the drink, together every morning in De Paul's room. In order of arrival, Leo first, then other members of the squad. If they got up too early, they have to wait for the moment to get to De Paul's room; nobody can jump the routine. De Paul sometimes calls Messi 'El Pequeno' (the little one), even though he is the oldest in the room. He needles him, treats him like a normal guy rather than a monument, because that is what Messi actually more often than not wants: to be Leo, not Messi. De Paul knows him well enough to sense when to leave him alone, too. Walking out to the pitch, Messi leads, De Paul at his side, the rest of the squad fanning out behind almost in a wedge — like a street gang protecting its leader. For many of this group, Messi was never simply a teammate first; he was the childhood idol on television, the reason some of them picked up a ball at all. The whole squad wears the same boots, the Adidas Adistar Messi. For his birthday in June, the players wore a T-shirt printed with a photo of themselves alongside Leo from some point across his years with the national team. Double training sessions and obsession with nutrition Scaloni has built the context to get the best from Messi — patient, collective football — and the Inter Miami forward has done his part, with months of double sessions with De Paul and obsessive attention to nutrition. His top speed, a nutritionist close to his camp says, is now about 5% faster.