The Defining Moment
Argentina 2014
Argentina reached the Brazil 2014 final seeking to give Lionel Messi the one title he needed to equal or surpass Maradona. Alejandro Sabella's side advanced with defensive solidity and flashes of Messi's genius in the group stage. In the final at the Maracanã, Gonzalo Higuaín squandered a clear one-on-one in the first half, and Messi sent a late free kick just past the post. In extra time, Mario Götze scored the 1-0 winner for Germany in the 113th minute. Messi received the Golden Ball, but his hollow stare as he walked past the World Cup trophy without touching it became the image of a generation that had brushed glory. He would have to wait eight more years until Qatar to fulfil his destiny.