Johannesburg - Lionel Messi has apparently been banned from shaving his beard by his Argentine teammates at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar because it brings them ‘good luck’.
After a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their group stage opener, Argentina switched gears to reach the finals for the first time since 2014.
In the Round of 16, they beat Australia to book a date with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, where they won on penalties. The Messi-inspired Argentina then produced a clinical performance in the semis to beat Croatia to book their final ticket against France on Sunday.
According to reports, one of their superstitions include the magical powers of Messi's ‘ginger’ beard.
Since the start of the tournament, Messi hasn’t shaved, as the team believes it could be one the reasons they win the World Cup.
Lionel Messi has not shaved his beard this World Cup because his teammates would kill him. 😅![CDATA[]]>😊
— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) December 18, 2022
A cabala (superstition) within the team believes that his beard is good luck and this time could be the reason they win the World Cup. We’ll see tonight. pic.twitter.com/ZUsf3bV9rp
The 35-year-old Messi is gunning for his first ever World Cup winners medal with Argentina after winning almost every other trophy on offer during his successful career.
With Qatar 2022 likely to be his last World Cup, Messi's triumph in the Middle-East could close the book on the GOAT - greatest of all time - argument for good.
Messi's and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been fighting for the honour of being called the greatest player of all time. Messi has won seven Ballon d’Ors to Ronaldo’s five, but a lot of pundits say winning the World Cup is the ultimate decider.
So with Ronaldo’s Portugal already out of the running for the crown, all eyes are on Messi, his beard and Argentina to see who will come out on top in the final against France.
@Mihlalibakela