🚨Reporter asks Lionel Messi which country he would support to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup if Argentina do not become champions after his hat-trick masterclass against Algeria:
🎙️ Reporter:
“Lionel, congratulations on your incredible performance tonight. If Argentina were not to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which country would you like to see become champions?”
🗣️ Lionel Messi:
“First of all, I hope Argentina wins it.
That is always my answer.
This is my country, my people, and the team I will always support above everyone else.
But if Argentina cannot win the World Cup, I would probably choose Portugal.
I have a lot of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo.
What he has done for football is incredible.
We competed against each other for many years, but the respect has always been there.
I know how much winning the World Cup would mean to him and to Portugal.
There are many great teams in this tournament, but if Argentina are not the ones lifting the trophy, I would be happy to see Portugal do it.
Cristiano has given everything to football.
And winning the FIFA World Cup would be a beautiful way to complete an extraordinary story.
But for now, my focus is only on Argentina.
That is the dream.
That is the objective.
And that is what we are fighting for.
{@espn }
Thierry Henry on Lionel Messi becoming the oldest player ever to score a World Cup hat-trick and the player with the most goals from outside the box in World Cup history:
🗣️ “I honestly don't know what more there is left to say about Lionel Messi anymore. Every time you think he has reached the top of the mountain, he somehow finds another peak that nobody else has ever climbed before.”
“The oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick. Just stop and think about that for a second. At an age when most players are retired, coaching, or sitting in television studios, Messi is still breaking records on the biggest stage in football.”
“And it's not just the hat-trick that amazes me. He now has more World Cup goals from outside the box than anyone in history. That tells you everything about the level of technique, vision, and confidence we are talking about.”
“These are not lucky goals. These are moments of genius. The type of goals where everyone in the stadium knows what he wants to do, but nobody can stop him from doing it anyway.”
“What makes this even more incredible is that this is his sixth World Cup. Six World Cups. Different generations, different teammates, different opponents, yet the same outcome every single time Lionel Messi deciding matches.”
“People always ask what makes certain players special. Well, special players break records. Legends create records. Messi is doing both at the same time while carrying the expectations of an entire nation.”
“I've played against some of the greatest footballers in history, I've watched some of the greatest footballers in history, but what Messi continues to do at 38 years old simply doesn't make sense.”
“This is no longer about talent. This is no longer about numbers. This is football history unfolding right before our eyes, and every single match feels like another chapter in a story that nobody thought was possible.”
Ball of the Century
#OnThisDay in 1993, Shane Warne bowled his first ball in England and that turned out to be the Ball of the Century.
It drifted lazily onto leg stump, then spat back a yard or two and clipped the top of off.
The famous picture of Ian Healy aahing and Gatting oohing tells the story perfectly.