Following a 5-0 warm-up triumph, Argentina and superstar Lionel Messi landed in Qatar early on Thursday for the World Cup. The defending champions France have also arrived in Doha.
Even though Messi, 35, has won a ton of awards, the competition in Qatar is probably his last opportunity to match the feat of fellow Argentine great Diego Maradona, who led his nation to World Cup victory.
He arrived in Doha, Qatar, with the Argentina team around 2:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (23:30 GMT on Wednesday).
In a friendly match on Wednesday, Argentina defeated the United Arab Emirates 5-0 with goals from Messi.
The South Americans, who were among the favorites entering this year’s World Cup, will kick off their campaign against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in Group C, which also includes Mexico and Poland.
Messi’s 91st goal for his country helped the 1978 and 1986 World Cup champions extend their undefeated streak to 36 games.
Despite being one of the favorites, Messi remained concerned about the team’s chances in Qatar.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner told CONMEBOL, the South American football body, “We have a very great squad that is extremely enthusiastic, but we think about moving bit by little. We know that World Cup groups are not easy.”
