Argentina reached the World Cup final with its outstanding performances of Messi , Julián Álvarez and Emiliano Martínez; in fact, in addition to Alvarez and Damian Martínez, there is an unknown hero behind Messi to silently support the team. He is the unknown Brighton midfielder McAllister (Alexis Mac Allister).
McAllister, 23, is not playing for any giants, but plays for Brighton, the mid-season team of Premier League . Before switching to Brighton in 2019, he spent some time with Argentine's domestic team Argentine youth, and was not from famous families such as River Plate and Boca Youth . Before the start of this World Cup, McAllister actually played only eight games for the national team, and never played the whole game. Although he was selected as the last train of the World Cup, fans generally did not look forward to his prospects in Argentina, believing that McAllister would only be a passerby on the team's bench.
In the midfield position, although Argentina cannot be called a star, it is true that many famous stars are in charge. Such as Juventus midfielder Paredes (Leandro Paredes), Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, Betis Guido Rodríguez, Benfica's new star Enzo Fernández , etc., are all midfielders with a better reputation than McAllister.
In the first group match against Saudi Arabia , the team took the lead with Rodrigo de Paul and Paredes, but their performance was not as expected, and they won a tragic defeat, almost capsizing Argentina in the gutter of this World Cup. The team lost balance in the midfield. DePaul and Paredes did have good interception and sweeping skills, but they did not lead the team to turn defense into offense, which made Messi play very hard and had no support in the midfield.
Brighton midfielder McAllister came to the world at this time and rescued Messi. In the second round of group stage against Mexico, the "Seagull" midfielder was finally used, that is, he gave a performance of both offense and defense, leading the team to win an important victory. Although the 23-year-old midfielder is only 1.74 meters tall, he has a solid ability to protect the ball and dribble. He can always break out of the crowd. His playing style and characteristics are really a bit like Mateo Kovacic of Croatia . At the same time, he has a lot of running momentum. He can maintain the team's sweeping ability in the midfield when putting away Paredes or Rodrigo de Paul, which is why Argent can find a balance in offense and defense.
In the next four games, McAllister almost played well. In the key quarter-finals against the Netherlands, he even played for 120 minutes, making him the team's unsung hero who was able to advance. In addition to Damian Martinez who made consecutive saves and Alvarez who scored multiple Dien wins, McAllister, who assisted and defended in the midfield, is definitely worth remembering by fans.
