The year was 2018. Argentina’s FIFA World Cup campaign had just come to a screeching halt following a 4-3 loss against France in their Round of 16 match. Lionel Messi looked visibly distraught as he slowly left the field as the commentator proclaimed – “This is Lionel Messi’s final World Cup match, surely. And maybe his last match for his country. He will be 35 years old by the time the next World Cup comes around in Qatar”. While the commentator had no way of knowing at that moment, but his words could not have been further from reality. Since then, Messi won the World Cup in 2022, clinched the Copa America title twice in 2021 and 2024, and on Tuesday, he became the highest goal-scorer in the history of the World Cup.
However, one day away from his 39th birthday, Messi is certainly not the same player anymore. The pace has gone down quite a bit and rather than playing an out-and-out striker role, most attacks go through the superstar nowadays. That is not to discount the fact that he remains the focal point of most attacks and his long-range finishing is still nothing short of pure magic.
But, even if you are fit physically, how do you motivate yourself after you have ‘completed’ football?
In the recent times, sensational young talents like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior and Yamine Lamal have truly staked their claim to become the next face of global football. All of the talents have produced pure moments of genius – for both club and country – to leave the world thrilled. However, one thing is crystal clear – if they want to become the next big thing of football, they need to outplay the 38-year-old superstar from Argentina who has truly become the ‘final boss’.
With 5 goals from 2 matches, Messi has been sensational, to say the least, in the World Cup till now. While the pace may not be the same as before, his ability with the ball has more than made up for it. Rather than making darting runs from time to time, he is generally found just on the edge of the box – a perfect place for a shot or to provide the perfect final pass to a teammate.
The other part of the game that has stunned everyone is the sheer mental resilliance on display. Messi is currently playing his sixth World Cup – an unique feat that he shares with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the enthusiasm has hardly gone down for him. While he has missed some games for Major Soccer League (MLS) side Inter Miami, he is mostly present for national duty and his importance is more than evident from the reverence he enjoys among his teammates.
On a night where Argentina found it a bit difficult to find openings against Austria, it was once again Messi who proved to be their talisman. Add the fact that he bounced back from missing a penalty, it was a performance that truly proved how important he still is to the side. From finding the perfect spot at the edge of the box for the first goal to showing tremendous determination to finish the move and score the second, it was a trademark Lionel Messi show and the world was lucky to experience it once again.