Former Barcelona and Portuguese legend, Deco has said that the Argentines National team’s success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was because they have Lionel Messi in their squad.

The former Barcelona forward captained La Albiceleste to their third World Cup and their first since 1986. The South American giants started their campaign with a 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia but won every game after that. They beat France on penalties in the final following a pulsating 3-3 draw after extra time.

Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball , scoring seven goals and providing three assists. He also scored a brace in the final and converted his penalty in the shootout. Portugal, meanwhile, were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morocco.

Deco, who made 75 appearances for A Selecao, has said that while Portugal have many good players, they don’t have the Argentine talisman. In an interview with Argentine outlet TR Sports, he said (via @AlbicelesteTalk

” Argentina won the World Cup because they
have Messi. For us, Portugal had the best
generation of good players, but we don’t have
Messi .”

Incidentally, Portugal’s captain rival Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make an impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He scored just one goal in five games and started on the bench in the two knockout games.