Cristiano and Messi, appointment of battering rams in his fifth World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, during the World Cup draw. CARL RECINE (REUTERS)

Messi will face Lewandowski again.

This time it will not be at the Ballon d'Or gala, when La Pulga won his seventh prize from France Football magazine in front of the Polish face, nor in a Champions duel —the last cross between 10 and 9 in Europe was in Bayern's historic slap against Barça in Lisbon (2-8).

Argentina and Poland will animate Group C of the World Cup.

If since Lionel Scaloni took the reins of the Albiceleste, the Argentine team stopped depending exclusively on Messi's inspiration (not always in a state of grace when he crosses the pond), Poland is fastened to the eternal relationship of the Bayern striker with the goal .

Lewandowski has scored 30 goals in his 37 knockout games, the last against Sweden in the play-off to seal Poland's place in Qatar.

Messi will not only meet again with Lewandowski.

Tata Martino, coach of Barcelona in the 2013-2014 season and coach of Argentina between 2014 and 2016, is in charge of Mexico.

The Aztec squad, which hasn't missed a World Cup since Italy 90, completes the zone along with Saudi Arabia.

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It will be the fifth World Cup for Messi, 34, who joins the group led by Antonio Carbajal (Mexico, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966), Lothar Matthaus (Germany, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998) , Rafa Márquez (Mexico, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018) and Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014).

His nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo, will also have his fifth World Cup date in Qatar.

The 36-year-old CR7 almost choked on his most likely last World Cup.

Portugal broke free from Italy in the playoffs and sealed their visa against North Macedonia.

Another historic striker like Luis Suárez, top scorer in the South American qualifiers (29), also suffered to take the Celeste to Doha.

Diego Alonso replaced Maestro Tabárez, when Uruguay was in seventh place in the table, with four games remaining to close the group.

The Uruguayan team finished fourth, behind Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador.

Portugal and Uruguay are joined by Ghana and South Korea in group H. It will be Korea's eleventh participation in a World Cup (it is the Asian team that has participated the most times), while the African team reached its best result in South Africa 2010 , just when they fell in the quarterfinals, against Uruguay.

No one, in any case, has participated in more World Cups (none were lost) or won as many (five) as Brazil.

“The Penta (as the Brazilians call their team in reference to their number of world cups)”, Cafú let out, with a mischievous laugh, when he discovered the Canarinha ball.

Waiting for the best of the best version of Neymar, the team led by Tite will face old acquaintances in group G. The tough Switzerland, who finished undefeated in the knockout group and only conceded two goals, and the balanced Serbia de Stojkovic, they already shared a zone with Brazil in Russia 2018. The new one in the group is Cameroon.

The Lions changed coach last January after losing in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals: Rigobert Song replaced Antonio Conceiçao and completed qualification for Qatar.

Two of the four best Russian teams will meet in Group F. The finalist Croatia and Belgium (bronze medal in Moscow) will seek to squeeze the best generations in their history.

The Balkans will continue to be led by Modric, while Robert Martínez lights candles for Hazard (last Tuesday they removed the metal plate he had on the lower part of the fibula on his right ankle).

Croatia and Belgium are joined by a newcomer: Canada, which surprised in Concacaf and came first in the table.

The group is completed by Morocco.

The defending champion, France, will face Denmark and Tunisia in group D, waiting to find out the fourth member that will emerge from the winner of the match between the United Arab Emirates and Australia, who will then have to fight for their place in Qatar against to Peru, fifth in the South American qualifiers.

The host, another of the World Cup debutants, will play the opening match against Ecuador.

Group A is closed by the Netherlands and Senegal.

The passage to the round of 16 for the Dutch is not in sight complicated, as is the one from England, who will compete in group B against Iran, the United States and the one that remains, which will be disputed by Wales and the winner of the duel between Scotland and Ukraine .

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