Gitika Talukdar has a front-row seat to history, and she knows it. The Seoul-based Indian sports photographer — the only accredited Indian female photojournalist at the 2026 World Cup — has been tracking Lionel Messi across two World Cups, and she's clear-eyed about what separates this one from Qatar.
"The atmosphere in the United States is built on gratitude," she told Khaleej Times. "Fans are celebrating a champion rather than anxiously hoping for history."
That shift matters. In Qatar, every Argentina match carried genuine weight — the fear that this might be Messi's last shot at the one thing missing from his career. Supporters sang for 90 minutes straight because they weren't sure they'd get another chance. The photos Talukdar took there were soaked in tension. Now that tension is gone, replaced by something warmer and, in its own way, more bittersweet.
Qatar was pressure. This is appreciation.
The distinction is worth sitting with. Qatar 2022 was one of sport's great pressure-cooker stories — a generational talent finally getting the result his career demanded. The emotion was almost unbearable. The US in 2026 is the victory lap, and MLS has played its part. Messi's time at Inter Miami opened the tournament to a wave of American fans who now genuinely understand what they're watching.
Talukdar notes that the photographs which stick with her aren't the goals — they're the tears and the banners and the faces of people wearing the No. 10 shirt. That's the real document of this World Cup for Argentina. Not tactics, not results. Witness.
Every match could be the last
Argentina face Cape Verde in the round of 32 on Saturday. On paper, comfortable. But from this point forward, any defeat ends it — and with it, any remaining chance to watch Messi in an Argentina shirt. He hasn't confirmed retirement, but the atmosphere around the team doesn't need a press conference. Fans are treating every appearance like it could be the closing image.
Argentina's odds to go deep remain strong, and bettors backing them to reach the latter stages are essentially backing Messi to stay hot in the knockout rounds — which, given his record in this tournament, isn't an unreasonable position. But the numbers aren't really the point here.
As Talukdar puts it: "Opportunities to watch him wearing the Argentina shirt are becoming increasingly rare." Whether that ends Saturday or in the final, someone is going to take the last photograph of Messi in blue and white. She intends to be the one holding the camera.
