Minuto 117 en São Paulo. Esa recuperación de Palacio. Esa apilada de Lionel a contrarreloj. Ese toque preciso y lapidario contra un palo de Fideo.
Ese grito que rompió 40 millones de gargantas durante el mediodía argentino.
12 AÑOS ya, inolvidable. 🇦🇷🫶🏼
-Ecuador le ganó a Alemania y clasificó.
-Colombia bailo a Portugal y le ganó el grupo.
-Paraguay eliminó a Alemania y paso a octavos.
Con sudamérica no se jode, chupenla eurocentristas.
Zlatan🇸🇪🗣️: Jamas estuvo en duda, hay momentos que parece humano como en el penal errado, en otros no parece humano, es Messi, y no ha jugado ante Jordania, no sé donde terminará, 5 goles en 2 partidos, yo tengo 0 goles en 2 mundiales, estoy feliz por él, espero que siga así, su cumpleaños en en dos días, disfrutémoslo, todos disfrutamos verlo jugar, maravilloso, no hay palabras.
“Error mundialista”
Porque una tiktoker argentina llegó al aeropuerto para viajar a Estados Unidos a ver el Mundial y se dio cuenta de que había sacado pasajes para el 22 de julio en vez del 22 de junio: "No lo puedo creer".
Cada gol de Leo, a muchos, nos sigue acercando al niño que fuimos y ya nos somos. Leo Messi es el anclaje a un yo que ya no existe, pero en el que él permanece.
Jürgen Klopp on meeting Lionel Messi after his masterclass against Austria and breaking Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goalscoring record:
🗣️ “I’ve just come from the dressing area after watching something I honestly struggle to describe properly… because what Lionel Messi did tonight against Austria was not just a performance, it felt like history being rewritten while the game was still going on.”
“When you break Miroslav Klose’s record at a World Cup, you are not just passing a number you are passing years of World Cup history, generations of strikers, and moments that were once considered untouchable. And he has done it in a way that feels almost effortless.”
“What I saw against Austria was a player who never looked like he was chasing a record at all. He was just playing football at the highest level, making the right decisions every single time, and the record simply followed him like it was inevitable.”
“The most frightening thing for opponents is that he doesn’t force anything. He doesn’t look desperate to score. He just waits, reads the situation, and when the moment comes, it is already too late.”
“I met him after the game and you can’t even see pressure on him. No shaking, no emotion like someone who just broke a historic World Cup record. It is almost like for him, this is normal. And that is the most abnormal thing of all.”
“People will talk about Klose’s record for years, and rightly so, but what Messi has done is take a record that survived generations and make it look like just another step in his career.”
“At this level, scoring goals in World Cups is supposed to be the hardest thing in football. But he has turned the hardest thing into something he repeats under pressure like it is routine.”
“I’ve seen many great players, many great strikers, but I’ve never seen someone make history feel this natural while everyone else in the stadium is fully aware they are witnessing something special.”
“When people look back at this night, they will not just say he broke a record. They will say they watched the moment football history quietly changed its owner.”
🚨🎙️ ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ ON LIONEL MESSI'S INFLUENCE ON ARGENTINA AFTER THEIR WIN OVER AUSTRIA:
“I'm obsessed with watching Messi.
Not because he's my friend.
Not because of nostalgia.
Because after all these years, I'm still trying to understand how one player can control a football match without touching the ball every minute.
I watched Argentina today and the first thing I noticed wasn't the scoreline.
It was the way Austria reacted whenever Messi moved.
One step to the left, defenders follow.
One drop into midfield, the entire shape changes.
One glance over his shoulder panic.
That's not football.
That's psychological warfare.
And that's why I laugh when people reduce him to goals and assists.
They don't understand what they're watching.
Messi isn't just Argentina's best player.
He's Argentina's system.
He's their confidence.
He's their belief.
He's the reason every teammate walks onto the pitch thinking the impossible is possible.
People ask me about the GOAT debate.
What debate?
Seriously.
What debate?
For me, there isn't one.
The debate exists because television needs content and social media needs arguments.
When I watch football, I don't see a debate.
I see Messi.
Then I see everybody else.
That doesn't mean other legends weren't incredible.
It means I've never seen another player influence a match, a team and an entire generation of football the way Messi has.
And today was another reminder.
He didn't need a hat-trick.
He didn't need to score from 40 yards.
He just needed to be Lionel Messi.
And suddenly Argentina looked like a completely different team.
That's greatness.
Not when everything depends on you.
When everybody becomes better because you're there.
I've played against great players.
I've played with great players.
But Messi is the only player I've ever watched and genuinely thought:
'This isn't normal.'
The scary thing?
Opponents know exactly what he's going to do.
And they still can't stop it.
That's why I don't waste my time with comparisons anymore.
Some players become legends.
Some players become icons.
Messi became a category of his own.
And after today's performance, if you're still asking me who the greatest footballer of all time is...
You're asking the wrong question.
The right question is:
Will football ever produce another one like him?”