In famous Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges’s short story “The Thousand,” the eponymous character is a mystical point in space that contains all other points in the universe, allowing whoever looks at it to see every place on Earth from every angle simultaneously without distortion.According to the giant of Latin American literature who died on June 14, 1986 – eight days before Maradona scored two legendary goals against England in the World Cup in Mexico, which Argentina won – the man is both the victim and the flow of his fate.This Sunday, Lionel Messi – the thousandth in Argentine football – will seek infinity in the same place in New Jersey where, alone and defeated a decade ago, he decided to retire from the game.
The flow of his destiny has taken him this far and we are drawn to him because of his lyrical and redemptive surface.Spain, however, will be there, searching for its own moment of truth in this dream space, putting Messi’s journey in parallel in the World Cup final. On the one hand, here is the country that has put a neat bow on the process of making Messi whole; On the other hand, there is now a competitor who would be more than eager to cook the performer’s own goose in an attractive indulgence in a daydream in which we might just see ourselves.
If this continues to be a painful ambiguity in the narrative, it also becomes the central driving force of the contest because it always brings us to a new possibility.These are Spanish-speaking finals but they’re more than just a competition, filled with a banquet of emotional turmoil and magic while allowing for so many subplots and such an exciting confluence of ideas to pile on top of each other.Never before in the history of the World Cup has the Copa America champion faced the European champions in the final.
The “Finalisima” final between the continent’s kings was canceled last March due to the war in the Gulf. But this is happening now on the biggest stage and with the biggest risks.This contest also unfolds with a number of possibilities.Spain’s tiki-taka, full of passing, with all the fluidity and imagination that consumed France’s ambitions in the semi-final, will now meet its match in a Lascaloneta style that relies on counter-pressing and never giving up.
This also draws attention through another appropriate narrative that evaluates their past and present. Spain’s collectivism – “simply being ourselves as a team,” as de la Fuente put it – is now pitted against the Argentine joie de vivre for Messi’s sake.Spain are unstoppable after remaining unbeaten in regular or extra time in 37 matches. Argentina, unbeaten in 14 matches, represents its final test.
It remains to be seen how Messi and his entourage fare their journey against Marc Cucurella, Fabian Ruiz and Rodri in a complex journey through the landscape of both teams’ aspirations.Football is often played with a degree of mysticism that also turns it in on itself. In 2017, when Lionel Scaloni was at the training academy of the Spanish Football Federation, he found in one of them Luis de la Fuente a teacher from whom he was only too happy to learn the craft.Perhaps the two coaches, standing on the touchline guiding their teams to immortality, feel the desire to reflect on their shared past.