A year later, where are the heroes who painted the World Cup in albiceleste?

In a country like Argentina, footballers often have a higher status than sports; For this reason, the names of those who make up the team that won the Qatar World Cup 2022 They are on a pedestal for a country that has not lifted the gold cup since 1986.

December 18, 2022 is burned into the memory of Argentina fans. But what happened to all the heroes this year?

1. Lionel Messi

The first proper name needs no introduction, because besides being the captain of the ‘Albiceleste’ he is one of the best players of all time: Lionel Messi. After lifting the World Cup, and finishing the tournament as top assist and second on the scoring chart, the former Barcelona player ended his Paris Saint Germain career by winning the French League.

Later, he signed for Inter Miami of the American MLS, where he was accepted as an idol who in a short time vibrated the fans of the state of Florida, with 11 goals and 5 assists in 14 games.

Furthermore, the head of the national team recently won his eighth Ballon d’Or, the historical leader in this statistic, and he is the first to win it without playing in Europe.

2. Emiliano Martínez

Another one of those responsible for that historic victory, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, also won a prestigious award that same night. ‘Dibu’ won the award for the best goalkeeper in the world for the exceptional saves that saved the Albicelestes on various occasions, such as the painful stop against Kolo Muani in the last minute of the final.

He later managed his team, the English Aston Villa, currently third in the Premier League, to qualify to play in the Conference League the following year; the first time they played in Europe in 13 years. Furthermore, together with the national team, he managed to establish the historical record of 752 unbeaten accumulated minutes.

3. The rear

The ‘Scaloneta’ defense is another of the keys to Argentina’s success in Qatar 2022 and that will continue to be maintained after the World Cup: the right back Nahuel Molina, the center backs Nicolás Otamendi and Christian Romero and the left back Nicolás Tagliafico. Each of them, except for Tagliafico, returned to their respective teams, where they were irreplaceable stars with guaranteed ownership.

The former Banfield player was the only one of them to change teams last summer, and was transferred to Olympique Lyon from Ajax Amsterdam. Currently, his team is last in Ligue 1 in an unusual situation for the Lyon entity.

4. The heart

The engine room of this team is led by midfielders Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis MacAllister. De Paul returned with Molina to Atlético de Madrid and they are very responsible for the team to have an amazing 2023.

For his part, Fernández returned to a soulless Chelsea, where, despite their level of play, the ‘Blues’ failed to enter continental competitions for the first time in a long time.

MacAllister managed to lead the team to its best historical position – sixth – in the Premier League, and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in the history of the institution. He signed last summer for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

5. The front

Although it is somewhat variable, the Argentine forward also has the ‘usual suspects’ in most games.

Inter Milan player Lautaro Martínez was key to his team’s path to the Champions League finals, which they decisively lost against Manchester City, where his teammate Julián Álvarez played, becoming the first footballer Argentina has historically won the Copa Libertadores, the World Cup and the Champions League throughout his career.

Another prominent name is Ángel Di María, whose return to Rosario Central has been rumored. ‘Fideo’ left PSG after seven seasons to return to Portuguese club Benfica, where he would score on his return and crown the Lisbon team as the country’s Super Champion.

6. And Scaloni?

There were other important names responsible for the unforgettable title such as Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes and Gonzalo Montiel, who scored the last penalty against France. But, without a doubt, each name on that call will always be in Argentina’s memory along with the leader who commanded that victory: Lionel Scaloni.

The coach, joining the historic podium made up of César Luis Menotti and Carlos Salvador Bilardo, turned on the alarm lights when, after defeating Brazil at the Maracaná for the first time in the South American qualifiers, he questioned his continuation at the head of ‘Albiceleste’. For now, its future is unknown.