Russia 2018 magical messi gets argentina qualification back on track

I think there may be some confusion here!

Lionel Messi did not play for Russia in the 2018 World Cup. He is an Argentine player and has always represented Argentina in international competitions.

In fact, Argentina did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup through the traditional qualification process. They were eliminated in the inter-confederation playoffs by New Zealand, losing 4-3 on aggregate.

However, Argentina did qualify for the 2018 World Cup through a special FIFA ruling, which allowed them to replace Chile in the tournament after Chile's win over Argentina in the Copa America final was annulled due to a controversy involving Chile's Alexis Sanchez.

So, to summarize, Messi did not play for Russia in the 2018 World Cup, and Argentina did not qualify for the tournament through the traditional qualification process.