1990 FIFA World Cup Final Shades of Diego Maradona on the path of Lionel Messi in 2026

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi (Image credit: Agencies) Tears brought you back to a balmy July night 36 years ago. As Leo Messi stood there Sunday night at MetLife Stadium — defeated — it was impossible not to think of Diego Maradona. ‘El Diego’ was inconsolable as the Germans arrived at the World Cup at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome after winning the 1990 tournament 1-0.Two geniuses, two completely different characters, yet so similar in their quest to defend the highest glory that their professional lives offered them. Messi could easily leave after the Qatar high. Few would have questioned Maradona either had Argentina not reached the dizzying heights of 1986 four years later. But they weren’t ready to give up. Two soldier artists yearned for a return trip to the top of the world, an Odyssey of sorts, when resources dried up.Progressing to the final, just like Maradona’s Argentina was an underdog against a German side in his prime, just like Messi’s Albiceleste against La Roja, which achieved its own.A look at Argentina’s possession in the two finals also suggests how they have struggled to keep pace with their European rivals. On Sunday, the Argentines had a woeful 35% possession – the lowest of any team in a World Cup final – while available statistics say it was 39% for Maradona’s side against the Germans.Even red cards – the sending off of Gustavo Dezotti late in the game in 1990 – put the Argentines out of the final game, as they did for the Copa America champions when Enzo Fernandez was given his marching orders on Sunday. Maradona had a team past his prime at the 1990 World Cup, this time quite similar to Messi. Unlike his predecessor, who failed to score in Italy, Messi had eight this time. But then Maradona’s influence was massive. His assist for Claudio Cannigia knocked Brazil into the round of 16, while the threat perception of the Argentine champions prevented Yugoslavia and Italy – both extremely trained European troops – from showing their fangs.Just as Messi missed a penalty against Egypt in the round of 16, Maradona fluffed his lines from the spot in the tie-break against Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, only for goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea to seize the opportunity to save Argentina’s blushes.The 1990 World Cup was also marked by Maradona dividing the host country, where he also played his club football for Napoli. Ahead of the semi-final at what is now the Diego Maradona Arena, the city of Naples was divided, with one group rooting for their boy while the other sided with the national colors and the Azzurri.This time, Messi’s Argentina had a similar polarizing effect on the soccer universe. If you believed the hype, FIFA played a role in the rise of the champions, while the latter was behind Messi’s wizardry and the team’s incredible ability to come back again and again.And ahead of the final, Maradona, like Messi, was the biggest threat and German striker Juergen Klinsman explained on ESPN how they planned to neutralize the impact of the genius. “We knew one Maradona moment could finish us off. Our coach Franz Beckenbauer told (defensive midfielder) Guido Buchwald to go with Diego wherever he goes, even if it’s to the bathroom… Bucky stuck with Diego every minute of the game, making him largely ineffective. Buchwald’s persistence even earned him the nickname ‘Diego,'” Klinsmann said.Times have changed, it’s no longer a man-to-man marking era, and Spain’s tactics on Messi were slightly different. It was left to Rodri and Marco Cucurello to contain him when he was in their zone. The intention was to isolate it and dry the culverts to it. It wasn’t until the 117th minute that Messi shot for the first time on goal, which could have gone if Mikel Merino didn’t stand firm and shoot a full-blooded header.Spain coach Luis de la Fuentes’ instructions to his team to keep Messi under control were very similar to Beckenbauer’s instructions to his boys all those years ago. “I told my players that facing Messi is the biggest challenge in football. Even at his age, he demanded full respect from us from the first minute to the last. He pushed us to our absolute limit, because that’s what the best players do,” said de la Fuentes.It became inevitable. Ferran Torres looked like an Andreas Brehme figure from all those years ago, driving a dagger into Argentine hearts in the late stages of the game. And as soon as the final whistle blew, the two magicians, separated by time, stood on the same platform with tears in their eyes. It’s just that they weren’t the only ones crying around the world.