Sa Argentina ta yi wasa da Egypt a Atlanta ranar Talata da karfe 17:00 BST, za a samu wani abinci da ya fi wani wasan zagaye na 16 na Kofin Duniya 2026 nauyi. Zai tara manyan tatsuniyoyin wasanni biyu a duniya — Lionel Messi da Mohamed Salah — kowanne yana ɗauke da fatan dukkan al'ummarsa a kafaɗarsa.

Argentina da nauyin ban kwana na zinariya

Kalmar da ake ta maimaita a bakin kowane ɗan Ajantina yanzu ita ce bicampeonato — nasarorin Kofin Duniya biyu a jere, wani al'amari da ƙasashe biyu ne kawai suka cimma: Italiya (1934 da 1938) da Brazil (1958 da 1962). Amma a bayan wannan himma, akwai fargabar da ba a faɗa: me za mu yi bayan Messi ya yi ritaya?

Yana da shekara 39, Messi ya riga ya nuna cewa wannan mai yiwuwa ne Kofin Duniya na ƙarshe a gare shi. Ya zura ƙwallaye bakwai a gasar, ya saita sabuwar tarihi ta halartar Kofin Duniya na shida a rayuwarsa, kuma ya zura ƙwallo a wasanni takwas a jere a tarihin gasar. Yana wasa kamar ɗan wasa wanda shekaru goma sha biyar ya ƙanshi, kuma hazakarsa a wasan da Cape Verde da sauransu ta hana Argentina su yi fatan makomar da za ta zo maimakon dai su mai da hankali kan halin yanzu.

Duk da haka, wani damuwa yana ƙaruwa a tsakanin ƙwararrun 'yan jarida na Argentina: an sake dogara matuka kan Messi a ƙungiyar ƙasa. A zamanin mai horar da shi Lionel Scaloni, Argentina an yaba mata da gina tawagar da ta ƙara wa kyafansu ƙarfi ba ta dogara gare shi ba. Daga cikin ƙwallaye 11 da Argentina ta zura a wannan gasar, bakwai na Messi ne. Maharan biyu na farko — Lautaro Martinez da Julian Alvarez — da yawa suna bayyana a matsayin masu ba da ƙwallon ga shugabansu ba a matsayin ƙarfin kai ne ba. Matsakaitan masu ƙirƙira Enzo Fernandez da Alexis Mac Allister — waɗanda suka yi fice a gasar da ta gabata — sun koma baya, suna mai da hankali kan tsaro.

Wannan baƙin ciki na son abu ya saba wa duk wanda ya ƙaunata kuma ya shirya don rasa: yadda Messi ke kusantowa ƙarshen wasansa, haka ake ƙara ji ba tare da shi za a iya tafiya ba.

Egypt da alfaharin al'umma a filin wasa

Ga Salah, mai shekara 34, tafiya zuwa wannan mataki ta kasance mafi ƙalubale. Wannan shine Kofin Duniya na uku da ya buga wa Egypt, kuma na farko da ya kai zagayoyin knockout. Egypt ba su taɓa wuce matakin ƙungiyoyi ba a zamanin zamani, saboda haka kasancewa a cikin 16 mafi kyau ya zama tarihi a kansa.

Tafarkin bai kasance mai sauƙi ba. Egypt ta sha kaye a kusa da zinare a gasar Africa Cup of Nations a shekarun 2017 da 2021, kuma dangantakar Salah da Hukumar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Misira ta kasance mai ɗaci a wasu lokuta — sabani a bainar jama'a kan haƙƙin hoton sa, shirye-shiryen tafiya, da gudanarwar ƙungiyar. Duk da haka, a duk wannan, Salah ya kasance bugun zuciya na ƙungiyarsa ta ƙasa.

Bugun Panenka da ya yi a jerin bugun fanariti a kan Australia ya tura Egypt cikin manyan 16 kuma ya sa bukukuwa a duk fadin ƙasar. Iyalai sun tattaru, zuciyoyi sun tashi, kuma daga ƙungiyar ƙasa suka yi nasara, dukkan al'ummar suka numfasa tare. Salah yana tsakiyar wannan jin daɗi — mai kwanciyar hankali, mai ƙuduri, kuma maras girgizawa.

Bayan ƙididdiga da kyaututtuka, Salah wakilin wani abu mai zurfi ne ga Masarawa. Tashinsa daga ƙauyen Nagrig zuwa manyan filayen wasa na duniya labari ne na imani da dagewa wanda ya ratsa iyakokin ƙwallon ƙafa. Mai tawali'u ne a cikin nasara, mai tushe a cikin asalinsa, kuma yana ɗaukar asalin ƙasarsa da mutunci na hankali duk inda ya buga.

Haɗuwar zamanai biyu

Messi da Salah dukkansu suna cikin surori na ƙarshe na ayyuka masu ban mamaki. Messi, wanda ya lashe Kofin Duniya kuma mai tarihin ƙwallaye mafi yawa da bayyanarsa a gasar, yana neman madawwamanci tare da Argentina. Salah yana farauta don mafi girman lokacin da ya tabbatar da sunansa a tsakanin mafi girma a tarihi a babban mataki na ƙwallon ƙafa.

Ranar Talata a Atlanta, al'ummomi biyu za su riƙe numfashinsu. Manyan tatsuniyoyi biyu za su taka ƙasa ɗaya. Ɗaya kacal ne za ta ci gaba.