Lionel Messi is set to earn his 200th international cap for Argentina when the defending champions open the World Cup against Algeria at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on Tuesday night, a milestone that transcends borders and speaks to the unifying power of the world's most popular sport.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the milestone has global attention, saying: "Not only the Argentinian population but everybody — the whole planet — wants to see him play. Everybody wants to see him on the pitch, because he has an effect not only on Argentina fans but supporters all over the world." The statement underscores how sports can bridge divides and create shared cultural moments in an increasingly fractured world.
A Shared Heritage
Scaloni, who has watched Messi for much of his life, said both are from the Argentine province of Santa Fe, with Scaloni from Pujato and Messi from Rosario, and that both passed through Newell's Old Boys, which also produced Maxi Rodriguez, Gabriel Batistuta and the current U.S. coach, Mauricio Pochettino. This connection to working-class communities in Santa Fe highlights how soccer provides pathways for talented young people from modest backgrounds to achieve global recognition.
Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring issue before the World Cup, but he looked comfortable in training and came on as a second-half substitute in Argentina's final tuneup against Iceland at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium, scoring moments later on a penalty kick and playing 20 minutes without problems. Scaloni said, "There's nothing negative to say. He's always been there, and he's essential for us. He's going to remain that way."
Messi has not spoken publicly since the national team gathered for the World Cup about two weeks ago.
Defending the Title
Argentina is trying to defend the title it won four years ago in Qatar, where it beat France in a shootout. Nicolas Otamendi, Messi's longtime national teammate, said, "What happened back in Qatar was just amazing. The whole country united. We have that engraved in our minds, and it's just injected us with the strength to keep trying. There's no relaxing. We need to keep working with that level of humility that is required in these types of competitions."
Otamendi described Messi as a "simple man that just focuses on training" and also as "a competitive animal," adding, "You want to be there with him, supporting him, serving him, and laughing our hearts out all the time. As I've said, when the ball is rolling, that's when you need to press, unite and come together as a family on the pitch."
Fans Travel to Witness History
The article also said Tapash Chakraborty, the 57-year-old owner of an engineering design company, was in a Kansas City bar hoping to catch a glimpse of an Argentina player at a meet-and-greet about 24 hours before the match. Chakraborty said, "Messi is Messi. He is the god of football."
Michelle Lemmon drove 160 miles, or 257.50 kilometers, with her four children from Kirksville, Missouri, to Union Station in Kansas City on Monday to celebrate her 42nd birthday. Lemmon, who played college soccer at a Catholic school after captaining the boys' team at her high school, said she will cheer for the U.S. throughout the tournament but would like to see the Americans face Argentina in the final. She said, "It's hard. You've got to like him. I'm nervous that this might be his last World Cup, so we're very excited. Honored that they chose Kansas City as their home base. To have the World Cup champions here, you know, from 2022 is amazing."
Lemmon's story illustrates how women have increasingly claimed space in soccer culture, breaking down barriers that once relegated them to the sidelines of a male-dominated sport.
Historic Company
The article said the list of greatest soccer players in history often begins with Messi and ends with Pele, the Brazilian star who helped Brazil win World Cup glory and was instrumental in growing the game in the U.S. during his time with the New York Cosmos. It said only twice before has a nation been a repeat winner of the World Cup: Italy in the 1930s and Brazil in 1962, when Brazil beat Czechoslovakia in the final in Chile despite an injury to Pele in the group stage. France nearly became the third repeat winner, but Argentina denied that four years ago in Qatar.
Associated Press writer Heather Hollingsworth contributed to the report.
Why This Matters:
Messi's 200th cap represents more than an individual achievement—it reflects how soccer creates shared cultural experiences that unite people across class, national, and geographic boundaries. His journey from Rosario, a working-class city in Santa Fe province, to global icon demonstrates how public investment in youth sports and accessible pathways can nurture extraordinary talent. The World Cup's presence in Kansas City brings economic activity to the region while making the global game accessible to American communities often distant from major coastal cities. Fans like Lemmon, who captained her high school boys' team before Title IX expanded women's opportunities in sports, and Chakraborty, an immigrant entrepreneur, illustrate how soccer transcends traditional divides. As Argentina seeks to become only the third nation to defend a World Cup title, the tournament showcases how international cooperation and shared passion can create moments of collective joy in an era marked by division.