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.”
🚨🎙️Zlatan Ibrahimović on Lionel Messi’s World Cup hat-trick masterclass as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0:
🗣️ “Let me tell you something… this is what happens when the greatest of all time plays football.”
“Messi didn’t just have a good opening game… he arrived at the World Cup like he still owns the damn thing.”
“People talk about age, about the end of an era, about pressure at 38 going on 39… but he doesn’t feel any of that. He creates pressure for every defender in the tournament instead.”
“Algeria tried to sit deep, they tried to frustrate, they tried to compete… but when Messi gets the ball anywhere near the box, the game is basically over.”
“A hat-trick on the opening night of the World Cup? That’s not normal… that’s a statement. That’s a warning to every team left in this tournament.”
“And this is why Argentina won so comfortably — because when you have a player like him, you don’t need ten chances. You need one moment of magic… and he gave them three.”
“Now people will start talking again… ‘Is he still the best player in the world?’ I don’t talk. I show. And tonight, Messi showed everyone.”
“This was not just three points for Argentina… this was a message to the entire World Cup. The king is still here.”
-El penal y roja a Gago por rechazar de cabeza
-Las no rojas a Vangioni pese a lesionar rivales
-El offside a Gigliotti cuando definía al gol
-La plancha al pecho de Funes Mori a P. Pérez
-La piña por atrás de Sánchez a Gago
-La no roja a Ponzio, reemplazado enseguida
-La roja a Cardona por eludir a Enzo Pérez
-La no roja a Enzo Díaz por el foul a Villa
-La no roja a González Pirez, mismo día
-La no roja a Casco por otro foul a Villa
-La no roja a Herrera por el foul a Zenón
-La no roja a Colidio por la plancha a Zenón
-La no roja a Solari por la piña a Blanco
-El penal de Armani a Giménez
Todo esto, solo en Superclásicos de la era D’Onofrio en adelante. Todas escandalosas y reglamentariamente indiscutibles. En la lista no hay “dudosas”, como el penal de Cardona a Nacho Fernández (Supercopa 2018), entre tantas otras.
No hay Pinola-Benítez, ni doble vara octavos 2015-final 2018, River-Platense (cuartos de final de una liga), ni River-Gimnasia (peleaba por jugar la Libertadores).
El poder se queja del poder. Gracioso.