Lionel Messi still going band for band with players in their prime at 39 really needs to be talked about.
He dominated in his own prime, outlasted the primes of so many others, and he's still matching prime Mbappé.
I honestly don't know how he's doing it. Messi is just insane. 😭🐐
WHAT A MOMENT! ❤️🐐
While Lionel Messi was in the middle of a post-match interview after Argentina secured qualification, several Cape Verde players came over and stood beside him, waiting for the Argentine star to finish so they could take a photo with him.
Messi noticed them, paused the interview, took photos with the players, and as they were leaving, Leo joked:
"They asked me for my shirt, but on the pitch they kept kicking me!" (laughs)
That's what makes him the greatest footballer. Even though Cape Verde were eliminated, their most valuable memory will be that photo with Leo and Messi knows it.
MESSI IS A TRUE GENTLEMAN. 🐐🇦🇷❤️
🚨🗣️ Diego Simeone‼️
“Last night I wasn’t a coach. I was just another Argentine in the stands, praying, suffering, and living every second with my heart. There were moments I couldn’t hold back the tears because this shirt means everything to us.
When the final whistle blew and we were through, it felt like the whole country celebrated together. Then Leo looked up, saw me, and gave me a wave. That small gesture meant more than words. He’s not only our captain he’s the soul of this team.
Now the dream continues. I hope this group keeps believing, fighting, and writing history. Winning one World Cup was unforgettable, but winning another in a row would make this generation truly immortal. Vamos, Argentina. One match at a time, together until the end.” 🇦🇷❤️
🌟 👏| Lionel Messi's third son, Ciro, in his post match interview after winning the MVP award in the Dream Cup Championship final:
🎙️| Ciro Messi: “Hi Dad! I did it! I listened to the coach and advanced with my teammates just like you always tell me. I hope you’re proud. I love you!”.
They said: "Half of Messi's goals at the last World Cup were penalties." 😭
So Messi came back four years later and responded with 7 goals... All from open play. 🤷♂️🐐
The excuses expire. The greatness doesn't.
🇦🇷🗣️ Lisandro Martinez: "Messi is not only the greatest athlete in football history, but in all of sports history.
Despite being 39 years old, he's still here. He's already won everything there is to win; there's nothing left for him to prove to anyone. If the greatest of all time continues to fight with this passion, we have no choice but to battle in the same way."
I always use Messi, our captain as an example. He fought for this shirt and when I got injured, he was the person I kept thinking about so I wouldn’t stop fighting.”
The difference between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in the World Cup Golden Boot race is that one of them is surrounded by some of the best players in the world—like Olise, Dembélé, Barcola, and Doué.
The other is playing alongside a group of very limited players, yet he’s still competing for the Golden Boot. That’s exactly what he’s done throughout his entire career.
Sorry, but the situations are clearly not the same, and the achievement doesn’t carry the same value for both players. Messi, at the very end of his career, is carrying the attack almost by himself, while Mbappé is benefiting from the quality of the teammates around him.
Messi is, by himself, both an entire attacking system and a chance-creating machine.
Believe it or not, but Messi’s 2026 World Cup is the most clinical version of him we’ve ever seen.
He’s not expected to score 20 goals, match his tally from the previous World Cup, or even finish as the tournament’s top scorer, despite already having seven goals.
Yet he’s scored in every game, and his chance conversion has been almost flawless. Just look at the control for his goal. The natural thing would be to bring the ball down with your foot.
Instead, he deliberately bounced it off the ground because it was quicker and gave him a better shooting angle. If he had controlled it with his foot, he might have needed an extra touch to adjust his body or push it forward, giving the defender a chance to recover.
Messi has reached a terrifying level of footballing maturity.