CHENNAI: Lautaro Martinez was 7, Enzo Fernandez was 4, when 18-year-old Lionel Messi made his Argentina debut. 21 years later, they don’t just share a dressing room with him, they share a common dream -- World Cup defence. Such scripts rarely work until you make them.
“When my old man first bought me a pair of boots, I always dreamed of scoring this goal,” said an emotional Martinez after scoring the winning goal that took Argentina past England 2-1. But the story isn’t just about the goal, how it happened or the details of it. It is rather a story about how we arrived at this place.
Back in 2014, when he was at Racing Club, he suffered from homesickness and was all set to return home before being convinced to stay at the club. Despite strong interest from Real Madrid, Martinez stayed in Argentina, knowing that opportunities to shine would come at a later date.
Twelve years later, not just the opportunity, Lautaro is at the right place, at the right time, as El Toro put his head across to finish an attacking move to give Argentina a decisive 2-1 lead in the semi-final against England.
“It's for my mum as well; from the moment I left for Racing, she never stopped making my bed. It means more than just a goal or a place in the final. I dreamed about it and told Alexis and Facu Medina that I was going to come on and win it,” he further added. And he will have another chance, this time in better shape mentally and physically than Qatar 2022, to be a two-time World Cup champion.
Enzo Fernandez won Qatar 2022’s FIFA Young Player Award. He was 21, and he pumped out adrenaline like it was air. In Argentina’s do-or-die clash against Mexico in 2022, it was Fernandez who whipped one past the Mexicans for a fairytale beginning. Four years later, he’s doing it all over again, another thumping finish past England’s Jordan Pickford, and a celebration later for the ages. It is the same thing, and it smells like teen spirit.
Fernandez’s story is woven much closer to Messi. When the Argentine No 10 called it a day from international football in 2016, Fernandez was in tears. He wrote, “Please don’t go, Leo. Seeing you play with the light blue and white is the greatest pride in the world. Stay and have fun.”
While that letter already has its place in Argentine folklore, Fernandez is writing a new letter for Messi, scoring goals just when the team needs them. He was the right man at the right place for the winner against Egypt; he was yet again the man whom Messi trusted to pull a long-ranger against England in the semi-final. For years, they saw Messi writing the story; now they are making sure that the fabled tale deserves a fitting finale.