After the tournament concludes, there might only be one greatest player left—Lionel Messi. His performance in defending Argentina's title at the North American Football World Cup has been outstanding since the start of the competition.
Messi's Performance and Achievements
Messi, who turned 39 on June 24th, demonstrates an astonishing ability to look younger in North America. He is considered one of the best players in the tournament since the matches at Azteca Stadium in Mexico began. Despite a possible decrease in speed, his play is characterized by exceptional game understanding, creativity, and precision.
The supporting cast allows the captain to enjoy the game and transmit euphoria to fans both at home and around the world. In the current tournament, Messi has shown incredible skill, creating no less than nine moments of pure brilliance. In total, he has scored eight goals and provided one assist in five matches.
Records and Progress in the Tournament
The Argentine is now recognized as the top scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals in this tournament. Furthermore, he has cemented his status as a great player for Argentina and the world by achieving nine assists, exceeding Diego Maradona's figure of eight.
His contribution was decisive in advancing the team to the quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland. This occurred after he scored two goals and provided an assist in the victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 in Atlanta, which ended 3-2 after a comeback.
Mentality and Comparison with Rivals
Despite impressive performances, the Argentine remains humble. He acknowledged that if his teammates had not inspired the team to come back against Egypt, his previous penalty miss could have turned against them. This is not the first time Messi has shown resilience and recovered from a penalty miss in this World Cup; he also missed against Austria but then scored a brace, thereby breaking Klose's record.
His psychological stability sets him apart from others, especially when compared to his main rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. Unlike the latter, Messi plays for the team and is the first to admit when he is in poor form. Ronaldo, however, is reported to believe that he never makes mistakes. He was allegedly asked if he was upset when sitting on the bench, to which he replied: 'When I am not in the starting lineup.'
Despite the insistence on playing in the starting lineup, the Portuguese superstar accelerated his team's exit from the Round of 16 instead of preventing it. In the match, he showed limited creativity in the final third, and his passes and shots drew criticism throughout the game.
Future of His Career
Messi admitted that he felt disappointed about the missed penalty. Ultimately, the motivation of the two players differs greatly. Ronaldo once compared Portugal's victory at Euro 2016 to a World Cup victory. Messi, however, does not seem satisfied until he wins a second consecutive World Cup.
Since Ronaldo confirmed that this is his last World Cup, he will likely retire without winning this prestigious trophy. However, this does not apply to Messi, who has competed with him for major titles on the international stage for many years. Messi continues to show a high level of play, comparable to or even higher than Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. With eight Ballon d'Or awards already compared to young rivals who are still fighting for their first, Messi could very well finish this global tournament as the undisputed greatest player of all time.
