Argentina ta zo FIFA World Cup 2026 tana neman cimma wani abu da babu ƙasa da ta samu fiye da shekaru sittin: kiyaye kofin a wani nahiya daban. Brazil ne ƙarshen ƙungiyar da ta yi nasarar kare kofin duniya a shekara ta 1962. Ga Lionel Messi, yin hakan karo na biyu zai wakilci kammalan mafi kyaun tarihin aikinsa — amma tarihi na bayar da gargaɗi mai tsanani.

"Ina fatan cewa Argentina har yanzu na iya yin hakan," tsohon kyaftin na Argentina Javier Zanetti ya gaya wa Sky Sports. "Argentina ta zo wannan gasar ta shirya da kyakkyawar tunani da ƙungiya mai ƙarfi. Amma yin hakan karo na biyu yana da matuƙar wuya."

Tarihi mai tsanani ga masu riƙe kofin

Faransa ta kusan kiyaye kofin a gasar 2022 a Qatar, amma ma zuwa ƙarshe wani keɓantaccen al'amari ne. Masu riƙe kofin uku da suka gabace ta kowanne ya fita a matakin rukuni. Jamus ta ƙare ƙarshe a rukunta a shekara ta 2018. Spain ta sha abin kunya da hanjali 5-1 a hannun Netherlands a wasa nata na farko a shekara ta 2014. Italy ta fita a matakin rukuni a shekara ta 2010 ba tare da ci Paraguay, Slovakia, ko New Zealand ba.

Fiye da haka, kare kofin Faransa a shekara ta 2002 watakila shine mafi kunya na duka. Sun sha kashi a hannun Senegal a wasansu na farko, sun kasa zura kwallon daya, kuma sun koma gida kafin lokaci. Ma fitar Brazil a matakin kusa da ƙarshe a shekara ta 2006 ana kallonta, a wannan mahallin, a matsayin nasara ta dangi.

Me yasa masu riƙe kofin kan faɗi?

Wannan tsari ba dama bace. Ƙungiyoyin da suka ci nasara kan riƙe haɗin kai — masu horas da 'yan wasa suna riƙe da waɗanda suka kawo ɗaukaka, kuma waɗancan 'yan wasa ba sa son tafiya. Amma lokaci, ba makawa, kan risku su. Marcello Lippi ya dawo horar da Italy bayan cin nasara a shekara ta 2006, ya dogara kan tsofaffin 'yan wasa waɗanda sun wuce kololuwar aikinsu. Fabio Cannavaro, kyaftinsa bingwa na duniya, yana da shekaru 36 kuma ba ya wasa a manyan kulob din Turai. Bayan fitar da Italy, ɗan jarida Maurizio Crosetti na La Repubblica ya zagi sosai: "Cannavaro tsohon ɗan wasa ne kuma kusan duk sauran sun gaji. Mu ne masu riƙe kofin duniya muka sa duniya ta yi dariyarmu."

Spain ta Vicente Del Bosque a shekara ta 2014 tana kare nasara ta manyan gasar guda uku a jere, amma tana kama kamar tana ja da baya ba tare da ra'ayi mai zurfi a Brazil ba. Xabi Alonso da Xavi Hernandez duk sun yi ritaya a bayan wannan gazawa. Jamus ta Joachim Löw a shekara ta 2018 ta maimaita wannan kuskure — Sami Khedira, wanda ya taɓa zama injin tsaka-tsakin filin wasa, yana da shekaru 31 a lokacin kuma an maye gurbinsa sau biyu kafin minti na sittin. Mesut Özil, wanda ya rasa ƙarfinsa na da, bai sake wakiltar Jamus bayan ficewa a matakin rukuni ba.

Kamanceceniya da wannan ƙungiyar Argentina

Goma cikin 'yan wasa goma sha ɗaya da suka fara wasan karshe na FIFA World Cup 2022 na Argentina sun dawo ga FIFA World Cup 2026. Kamanceceniya da masu riƙe kofin da suka faɗi a baya ba ta da ta'aziyya. Nicolás Otamendi yanzu yana da shekaru 38 kuma zai koma River Plate daga Benfica bayan gasar. Nicolás Tagliafico, ɗan wasan hagu na Lyon, yana da shekaru 33. Alexis Mac Allister, ko da yake yana cikin ƙaramin sashi na ƙungiyar, yana kama kamar ɗan wasan tsaka-tsaki daban-daban sosai, mai ƙarancin kai-da-kai, idan aka kwatanta da wanda guduwarsa mai ƙarfi ta tattara burin farko na Ángel Di María a wasan karshe a Qatar.

Sannan akwai Messi kansa, yanzu yana da shekaru 37 kuma yana cikin kaka na huɗu a Major League Soccer. Duk da haka, shaidu suna nuna cewa har yanzu yana aiki da kyau. Argentina ta ci Copa America a shekara ta 2024, ta jagoranci cancantar Kudancin Amurka da rinjaye, kuma Messi ya ƙare a matsayin babban mai zura kwallo a ƙwangilar cancantar. "Shi ne mafi kyau a tarihi," Zanetti ya ce. "Wannan za ta zama ƙarshen World Cup nashi amma har yanzu shi kyaftin ne. Kasancewarsa a filin wasa koyaushe yana ba ka wani irin natsuwa domin ka san kana da ɗan wasa wanda zai iya yin bambanci a kowane lokaci."

Sabbi 'yan wasa masu kawo bege

Argentina bata tsaya tsaf ba. Nico Paz, wanda aikinsa ya taimaka wajen ɗaukar Como zuwa UEFA Champions League, ya ta da babban sha'awa. Valentín Barco, mai shekaru 21 kawai, ya nuna kansa a fagen. Giuliano Simeone na Atlético Madrid yana ba Lionel Scaloni wani yuwuwar zaɓi ga matasa. "Akwai ƙwarewar tsofaffi," Zanetti ya amince. "Amma akwai kuma matasa 'yan wasa da yawa. Akwai gauraye."

Dangantakar da ke tsakanin Scaloni da Messi za ta zama maɓuɓɓugar yakin Argentina. "Da tattaunawa da amincewar da suke da ita, da alaƙar da suka gina tsawon shekaru, komai a sarari." Zanetti ya bayyana. "Zai yi ƙoƙari ya tabbatar da cewa Messi na iya ci gaba da zama ɗan wasa mai muhimmanci a World Cup."

Duk da haka, girman kalubalen ya fi komai. Kiyaye kofin yana buƙatar cin wasannin zagaye biyar a cikin kwanaki 15. Messi zai kai shekaru 38 a lokacin gasar. Tarihi bai yi wa waɗanda suka yi ƙoƙari kafin sa tausayi ba — amma duk aikin Messi bai taɓa bi ka'idodin tarihi ba.