​To suggest that the Barcelona side in question is blessed with a spectrum of talents would be an understatement. The term Messidependencia—an over-reliance on Lionel Messi—has shadowed the team for years. Yet as the man himself nears his 40s, perhaps the phrase has never felt less apt. As Argentina push to preserve their World Cup 2026 bid, the debate surrounding their candidacy has shifted: no longer is the question whether Messi is past his peak, but whether his supporting cast can supply sufficient ballast. The burden of proof now rests on the other 10 players, or, given today’s supersized squads, the other 25.
A quarter-final that once promised the possibility of a Messi–Cristiano Ronaldo showdown has instead become a fixture that pits Switzerland against expectations. In this mirror of an old rival’s trajectory, the dynamic appears inverted: Portugal’s other ten may have possessed the quality to win the World Cup, yet Ronaldo did not. The strategy of building a team around an ageing star, paired with compensating for his reduced pace, has backfired.
Messi has been a talisman for Argentina, but the statistics alone do not tell the whole story. So far, he has accounted for eight of Argentina’s 14 goals, with two more coming before his entry in a dead rubber against Jordan. He has assisted one of the remaining four goals while on the field—the header by Cristian Romero that sparked a comeback against Egypt. In a broader sense, though, Messi has created another pivotal moment: the goal credited as a Diney Borges own goal from his corner, which began the sequence that led to Cape Verde’s winner being reattributed. Since that goal was not officially counted as Romero’s, only one Argentina player has registered more than one strike in this World Cup. “It’s not something that worries us,” coach Lionel Scaloni said last week. “I would like the goals to be shared around.”
Argentina’s captaincy has carried a heavy weight this World Cup, and the veteran’s burden has extended beyond the scoreboard. There is an intangible dimension to Messi’s influence—an inspiration that perhaps defies quantification. He drove Argentina’s comeback against Egypt, rested only briefly against Jordan, and then played a marathon 120 minutes against Cape Verde, with what felt like an extended 100-minute shift against Egypt. All of these factors point to a player whose presence remains indispensable.
There are clear parallels with another ubiquitous figure who has long endured comparison: Messi’s career-long shadow has often drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona. In the 2022 World Cup, Messi contributed directly to 10 goals—seven scored and three assisted. He could again reach double figures in the 2026 tournament, perhaps in Kansas City against Switzerland. And yet, four decades ago, in a tournament that felt even closer to a one-man mission than today’s global format, Diego Maradona managed five goals and five assists. He delivered in a smaller competition of its era, a reminder that the measure of influence can be as much about resonance and leadership as raw numbers.
As Argentina pursue a World Cup run and a credible bid for 2026, the conversation isn’t merely about whether Messi can continue to conjure moments of magic. It’s about how the rest of the squad can shoulder more of the load, how others step up to contribute goals and decisive plays, and how the team translates Messi’s genius into a collective triumph. If the goal is to sustain a championship-caliber project around one player while still building a cohesive, multi-dimensional unit, then the challenge is not to diminish Messi’s impact but to broaden the base that supports it. In the end, the question remains: can Argentina’s supporting cast rise to the occasion, giving the nation a credible chance to convert Messi’s enduring brilliance into a lasting World Cup legacy?