KAZAN: Ever Banega needed just one start to unleash Lionel Messi at the World Cup. Only 14 minutes rather. With Argentina 90 minutes away from crashing out in the group stage, Jorge Sampaoli finally put his trust in the man who many felt was the missing link for the current Argentina team. Messi finally got his long-awaited goal in Russia, Argentina the victory they needed.

It had been perplexing for many why Sampaoli wasn’t using Banega, arguably the most creative midfielder in the current Argentina lot, despite clear lack of service for Messi.

Banega came on as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw in their opening match against Iceland but was left on the bench in their humiliating 3-0 defeat by Croatia where it was painfully clear that the ageing, creaking Javier Mascherano and Enzo Perez, only called up to the squad after an injury to Manuel Lanzini, were impotent in the face of Croatian midfielders Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic who ran around them in circles.

It was now or never for Argentina when they took to the pitch against Nigeria, who needed only a draw to eliminate their more illustrious opponents. And it was Banega who set the tone and tempo for that victory. His pass to Messi was what Argentina’s talisman had been crying out for the entirety of this World Cup. With the 2-1 victory, Argentina advanced to the last-16 where France await.

“I just had to raise my head and he [Messi] had to set the game and make it more viable,” Banega said at the pre-match press conference on Friday. “It’s a pleasure to play with Messi. We all know what he offers as a player and to football more widely. I played the last match and tried my best to help him and hopefully we can continue to improve further.”

With Banega, Messi was also freed of the need to drop back defensively. Banega provides endless running and with his wide array of passing and composure on the ball, he opens up spaces in attack. Against France on Saturday, Banega is slated to start. “Messi is always surrounded by opposition players and that will be the same case against France,” said Banega. “Tomorrow [Saturday], we will try to pass him the ball in good positions and hopefully he can use it to his advantage.”

Sampaoli has made no secret that Argentina remains Messi’s team; one which works tirelessly to bring to the fore his exquisite talents. It is even Messi who’s consulted first about who plays. During the Nigeria match, Sampaoli was seen asking the totemic forward whether he felt like Sergio Aguero should be sent on. “Playing alongside Ever is a pleasure,” Messi has said in the past. “With him we always get good balls to our attackers. It makes everything easier.”

It was therefore surprising and raised questions why Banega didn’t start in the Croatia match. Banega and Messi first crossed paths as kids in the youth team of Rosario’s Newell’s Old Boys. “He used to look like a dwarf then, his kit was way too big for him, but what he used to do was already far to good … he made us all look stupid,” Banega said in an interview about Messi two years ago.

Messi went on to join Barcelona and has enjoyed a stellar club career, winning everything there was to be won, and becoming one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Banega’s path has been different. He courted a lot of controversy during his time at Valencia and his career was almost in ruins until Sevilla took a punt on him in 2014.

There, he was a man revitalised, winning the Europa League trophy in successive years before joining Inter Milan in 2017. Banega would be one of the bright spots for Inter, scoring a career-high six goals in a season. He would rejoin Sevilla a year later though but it all could’ve been so different.

Joining Valencia in his teens, there was a video leak which didn’t go down too well. He broke an ankle after being run over by his own car and one of his cars burst up in flames. He was caught drink-driving and once turned up for training drunk. Valencia were desperate to get rid of him, also sending him to Newell’s Old Boys for six months on loan.

It was then Sevilla coach Unai Emery, also his manager for four years at Valencia, who decided to sign him up. It seemed like a gamble t the time but Banega hasn’t looked back since.

His game-high 49 touches in the first half against Nigeria, where he dictated play for Argentina a proof that he’s moved on from the aberrations during his youth and finally living up to his promised potential. Without him, Argentina looked unstable; a side with no hope and no creativity. With him, Argentina look more balanced — a team with an outside chance if not a favourite to win.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2018