Argentina makes life easy for Messi. Portugal made it difficult for Ronaldo

There is a scene that keeps repeating itself whenever Argentina play.

Rodrigo De Paul wins the ball. Alexis Mac Allister offers a point of view. Enzo Fernandez moves possession forward. Julian Alvarez starts running. Lautaro Martinez drags the defender away. Somewhere in the middle of all that movement, the ball eventually finds Lionel Messi.

Some will call it predictable. Argentina would probably call it common sense.

After all, when you have Lionel Messi in your team, why would you spend 90 minutes looking for someone else?

The numbers from this World Cup tell their own story. Argentina scored five goals in two games. Messi scored all five goals. He started the tournament with his first career World Cup hat-trick against Algeria and followed it up with a record match against Austria. At 39, he alone tops the World Cup goalscoring charts with 18 goals, becoming only the third player in history to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.

But the most interesting thing about Argentina is not Messi’s brilliance. We’ve known about it for two decades.

What stands out is how comfortable everyone else seems with their role in the story.

No one seems threatened by Messi’s importance. No one seems to want to prove that they can do it themselves. The entire structure of this Argentine side is built on a simple idea: get the ball to the best player and let him decide the match.

Here, the comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal is fascinating.

Because while Argentina have spent years figuring out how to make life easier for Messi, Portugal still seem to be caught up in the never-ending conversation of how to best use Ronaldo.

Contrast isn’t really about talent. It’s not so much about age. It’s about clarity. Argentina know exactly who they are when Messi is on the pitch. Portugal are still looking for that certainty with Ronaldo.

ARGENTINA KNOWS THE TASK

Argentina enjoyed the presence of Lionel Messi (Photo Reuters)

The smartest thing Lionel Scaloni ever did was stop asking Messi to be Superman.

There was a time when Argentina was expected to do everything. Score goals. Create your chances. Drop to midfield. Rescue the team whenever the going gets tough.

Now they ask him to do one thing. Referee matches. Everything else is handled by the rest of the team.

De Paul pursues lost cases as if they offend him personally. Mac Allister covers huge distances. Enzo Fernandez dictates the pace. Alvarez pushes with endless energy. Lautaro Martinez spends most of the evening making defenders uncomfortable.

Together, they created the perfect environment for Messi.

His tactical side is clear. Argentina’s midfielders do much of the running and defensive work, allowing Messi to save his energy for the moments that really decide matches. But the emotional side may be even more important.

This team seems really invested in Messi’s success.

De Paul once said he would “go to war” for his captain. Emiliano Martinez has spoken of wanting to “die” for Messi if it means helping him achieve everything the game has to offer.

These comments are striking enough in their own right, but they are hardly isolated examples. Julian Alvarez has spoken openly about growing up idolizing Messi, describing sharing a dressing room with him as something he could hardly have imagined as a child. Enzo Fernandez once admitted that while Argentina always play for their country, there was an added motivation to see their captain finally achieve everything his career deserved.

In another locker room, these comments may sound exaggerated.

He feels completely normal in this Argentinian team.

The Austria game offered perhaps the best example of why the formula works. For long stretches at the AT&T Stadium, Austria made life difficult for the world champions. Ralf Rangnick’s side enjoyed plenty of possession, disrupting Argentina’s rhythm and preventing Scaloni’s men from controlling the game as they had against Algeria.

However, when the game was over, both coaches came to almost the same conclusion.

“This is Lionel Messi. He doesn’t need many situations to decide the game,” Rangnick admitted afterwards.

Scaloni’s assessment was equally revealing.

“When Leo activates, everyone activates.

That was pretty much the story of the afternoon.

Austria could enjoy possession. Austria could frustrate Argentina. Messi could have even stretched the penalty when it looked like history was waiting for him from 12 yards.

None of that really mattered.

Finally, the ball landed him in the right area and he did what he had spent the last twenty years doing. One goal became two. A difficult afternoon turned into another Argentine victory. Messi scores twice in Argentina’s win over Austria (Photo Reuters)

Scaloni’s comments after the game perhaps revealed even more why this version of Argentina works so well. The coach praised Messi’s commitment during the tougher stages of the match and highlighted how his captain continued to track, compete and help the team in periods without possession.

This balance is what makes this Argentina side so dangerous.

The players work for Messi, but Messi also works for them.

PORTUGAL RONALDO PUZZLE

Is Portugal a better team now without Ronaldo? (Photo by Reuters)

Portugal’s situation appears to be considerably more complex. The funny thing is that they may actually have more attacking talent than Argentina.

Bruno Fernandes is one of the best creators in Europe. Bernardo Silva remains among the smartest midfielders in the game. Rafael Leao can destroy defenders in transition. Vitinha and Joao Neves offer control and creativity. On paper, this should be a side capable of overpowering the opposition.

Yet Portugal often look less confident than Argentina.

Their 1-1 draw against DR Congo summed up the dilemma.

Ronaldo finished the game on just 29 touches and did not register a shot on goal. Criticism arrived immediately. At this point, it almost comes before the final whistle.

The debate quickly turned to whether Portugal were becoming a better team without Ronaldo.

The problem with that discussion is that it ignores what happened around him.

Portugal’s midfield was constantly creating chances. Bruno Fernandes, arguably the team’s most important creative player, endured one of his quieter performances in recent memory. Possession was plentiful but clear-cut opportunities were few and far between.

Ronaldo certainly did not play well.

Neither do many of the players responsible for supplying it.

Ronaldo himself quickly defended the team’s performance afterwards.

“Nothing was missing. That’s football,” he said. “Portugal could have won, but also lost.”

It was a typically measured response from a player who has spent most of his career operating under a microscope. However, the reaction around Portugal suggested that many observers remain uncertain whether the team is helping Ronaldo enough, or whether Ronaldo is helping the team enough.

This uncertainty was compounded by Thierry Henry’s post-match analysis. The Frenchman criticized Ronaldo’s positioning during one second-half attack, claiming the veteran striker was too focused on getting the score, rather than helping create the team’s clearest chance.

“The team needs to score, not you,” Henry said.

The former Arsenal striker pointed to a sequence where Ronaldo got into the path of a cross that appeared to be intended for Bruno Fernandes, spoiling what Henry believed could have been an easier chance.

Whether or not one agrees with Henry’s criticism is almost beside the point.

The fact that the conversation exists at all highlights Portugal’s dilemma.

With Messi, Argentina removed the uncertainty. Everyone knows where the ball is supposed to go, how the team is supposed to function and what the role of the captain is.

With Ronaldo, Portugal still seem to be in between different ideas.

Not everyone inside the camp agrees with the criticism. Francisco Conceicao recently dismissed suggestions that teammates feel compelled to constantly look for Ronaldo on the pitch.

“We have no obligation or need to pass the ball to him,” Conceicao said.

The winger also described Ronaldo as an example to the younger generation because of the hunger he continues to show every day at 41 years old.

These comments were reasonable, but also highlighted the contrast with Argentina.

No one in the Argentina camp spends time explaining whether they should look for Messi.

The answer seems obvious. Ronaldo struggled to get in Portugal’s opening game (Reuters photo)

CAN PORTUGAL BURNING IN UNISON?

Portugal now head into a crucial clash against Uzbekistan in need of a response. The game isn’t really about whether Ronaldo scores or whether there will be further debate surrounding his place in the county. The question is whether Portugal can produce the collective performance that Argentina now take for granted.

Because this was never a debate about whether Ronaldo would remain a great player. That question was settled a long time ago. The real question is whether Portugal have fully figured out how to maximize him at this stage of his career.

Argentina answered this question years ago with Messi.

They stopped asking him to be everything and instead built a structure that allows him to be the most important thing.

Rewards are visible every time they take the field. Five goals in this World Cup. Five goals from Messi. A team full of talented footballers who never seem confused about where the decisive moment should come from.

Portugal remain gifted with extraordinary talent and Ronaldo remains capable of producing tournament-changing moments. But as the World Cup approaches its decisive stage, the contrast between the two teams is starker than ever.

Argentina’s players speak of Messi with love, admiration and absolute confidence. Portuguese conversations around Ronaldo are often accompanied by tactical debates, questions and warnings.

This may be the clearest difference of all. Argentina knows exactly what Messi means to them. Portugal are still struggling to define Ronaldo’s place in this version of their team.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

23 Jun 2026 14:29 IST