Mbappé is already 27 years old, Haaland is 25, and Michael Olise will turn 25 this year. This is what Lionel Messi had already accomplished by the age of 25..
At just 25 years old, Lionel Messi had already accomplished what once seemed impossible in football: winning four consecutive Ballon d’Or awards. He achieved this in an era filled with legendary players, yet the Argentine still separated himself and reached a level of dominance that felt almost untouchable.
Messi was not simply a world-class superstar; he appeared to redefine what was possible on the pitch. His ability to dribble at full speed, create chances out of nothing, and decide the biggest matches made him the face of FC Barcelona’s most dominant era.
The statistics only made his achievements feel more unreal. In 2012, Messi scored 91 goals in a calendar year, setting a record that transformed an incredible season into something almost impossible to replicate. While many players at 25 were still trying to prove they belonged among football’s elite, Messi was already being viewed as a player who had surpassed entire generations before him.
The greatest England performance and memory of my lifetime happened 30 years ago today.
1996, the best summer ever, was really starting to hit its stride by then.
After a draw with Switzerland and a win over Scotland, the Netherlands were next.
Revenge for the World Cup qualifying debacle nearly three years earlier was high on everyone’s — well, my — agenda.
What happened that night at Wembley was absolutely magical. The football was thrilling, the atmosphere electric and England played with a confidence and swagger that seemed almost impossible to believe.
What a performance. What a team.
We couldn’t, could we? 😉
Now THAT’S how you sing a National Anthem. 🇬🇧
God bless Stuart Pearce and Tony Adams. 👏❤️🏴🇬🇧
Just pure passion, pride, and love for their country.
You could see what it meant to them every time they pulled on an England shirt.
They don’t make legends like that anymore.