Today's Talking Points
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1Argentina are the defending champions. Messi is back for his sixth World Cup — a record no man has ever reached. He's 38. He has a dodgy hamstring. And he still might be the best player at the tournament. Just let that sink in for a moment.
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217 of the players who won it in Qatar are still in the squad. This is not a team in transition. This is a team that won the thing and just turned up again to win it again. Absolutely nobody else at the tournament wanted this draw.
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3There is a genuine injury concern about Messi before a ball has been kicked. He's been nursing a hamstring problem and Argentina's medical team is being very careful about what they say publicly. This is the kind of information that sounds very knowledgeable if you drop it casually.
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4Their goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez — who saved two penalties in the Qatar final — turned up to this tournament with a broken finger after Aston Villa won the Europa League. He's expected to play anyway, because of course he is.
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5Argentina face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group — on paper the kindest draw of any top-five contender. Which means either they sail through, or they somehow make it dramatic anyway. With Argentina, dramatic is never fully off the table.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Messi is playing his sixth World Cup at 38 with a dodgy hamstring. It's almost certainly his last. Whatever you think of football, that's worth watching.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"Is Messi the best ever?" — this has been settled. He is. Asking the question just makes you sound like you've only recently discovered the sport.