The Barcelona star proved the difference for his nation as they struggled to impress after a long time apart

Lionel Messi expressed the importance of victory and not the performance after Argentinakicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Ecuador.
Messi was the hero again for Argentina in Buenos Aires on Thursday, converting a 13th-minute penalty in the country's first match since November last year.

Argentina were scheduled to begin their CONMEBOL qualifying campaign for Qatar2022 in March, but the coronavirus pandemic scuppered those plans.

*The South American giants finally returned to action in a lacklustre display and extended their unbeaten streak to eight games, dating back to the 2019 Copa America in July, thanks to superstar captain and six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi.

"We knew it was going to be complicated. but the most important thing is that we won and now we have to work to keep growing," Messi said post-match.

"It was important to start off with a win because we know how difficult the world cup qualifiers are.

"The matches are always tough. We hoped the level of play would be different but it's been almost a year since we played together, this was our first game back and the nervousness makes it complicated."

Messi and Argentina played at an empty La Bombonera – the iconic home of Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors – amid the Covid-19 crisis.

There have been more than 856,000 confirmed cases and over 22,700 deaths from coronavirus in Argentina.
"It was a complicated year for what we are living through," added Barcelona's Messi, whose Argentina meet Boliviaon Tuesday.

"Being able to go back and play with the Argentina national team and give happiness to people with the win, beyond the game, serves to decompress. Much strength to all Argentines."
Messi's goal on Thursday saw him equal a recordnow also held by Ronaldo and former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez. 
Suarez left Camp Nou over the summer for a move to Atletico Madridwith the striker opening up on his controversial departureafter he scored in Uruguay's 2-1 win against Chile. 

"When Atletico came looking for me, I didn't hesitate for a single moment," Suarez said. "Obviously I have to get used to various things, but I feel very happy at Atletico."
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The former Netherlands star is the only player to have won the competition with three teams, but he believes the Juventus star can match him.

Clarence Seedorf is not worried about the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo equalling his record of winning the Champions Leaguewith three different teams.

Having lifted the European crown during his spells at Manchester Unitedand Real Madrid, 

*Portugal icon Ronaldo is aiming to win the competition once again with current side Juventus.

Seedorf is the only player in history to have won the Champions League with three sides, having done so with Ajax, Madrid and AC Milan,"

*Juve have not won the competition since 1996 but reached the final in 2015 and 2017, and Seedorf believes they can go all the way while five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo is leading the attack.

“It'll be a very nice pleasure to have Cristiano Ronaldo equalling my record. We could've talked about somebody different, right? So, I don't think it's a bad thing,” he told Goal.

“I will always be the first and that won't change, and records are there to be equalled and to be broken, and Juventus can definitely always be competitors for the Champions League. As I said before, Cristiano is maintaining his motivation and his performances, so yeah. Why not?”

Seedorf believes Ronaldo and Barcelonastar Lionel Messi can continue to fight for FIFA’s The Best award and the Ballon d’Or despite being 35 and 33 years old respectively.

“I think if they are fit and motivated, they will continue to perform at a high level, both of them. I don't see why they wouldn't,” he said.

“The question is more: are we going to see some of the younger generation to step up their game?

“That's what I'd like to see, because Cristiano and Messi have shown for the last 12-13 years the ability to continue to do their thing.”

The 44-year-old believes there are several other players who will be in contention for the top individual accolades in the coming years.

Seedorf added: “There are enough players that could step it up. Neymar had decent season, but he's one of them who can still step it up and be there, then we have some midfielders like [Kevin] De Bruyne.

“We have [Eden] Hazard, I always said that Hazard easily can be there but it's about are you motivated to be the best? And [Romelu] Lukaku who has been amazing, he has jumped up the last season.

“Maybe I'm forgetting a few: [Robert] Lewandowski did an amazing job, [Philippe] Coutinho, all these players. There are many players: [Sadio] Mane, [Mohamed] Salah.

“So, it's about the consistency which Messi and Ronaldo have shown. Cristiano has shown all the players that they can be consistent over the years at that level and that's a mentality thing, that's a motivation and drive that champions have.

“Let's hope to see more.”

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