There shouldn’t be any debate over Lionel Messi’s place in the hall of fame.
The argument over whether he is the greatest player of all time (GOAT, as the hip kids say) or simply one of the best players to ever play the beautiful game will likely never end.
Some have frequently cited Messi’s failure to win the World Cup to argue that he cannot be regarded as the greatest player to have ever lived.
The 35-year-old has stated that this World Cup will be his last, so what better way to go out than by steering Argentina to victory?
Certainly, Messi is driving the push. He seemed to be possessed, single-handedly advancing Lionel Scaloni’s team through Australia in the round of 16, then displaying his combative side in the triumph against the Netherlands on penalties after assisting in both of Argentina’s goals during regulation time.
Another evergreen star who is supposedly in the twilight of his career is still glowing brilliantly while the world waits for Messi to eventually win the title.
The Croatian team led by Luka Modric was not expected to match its performance from four years prior, when it reached the final in Russia before falling to France.
Yet after overcoming favourites Brazil on penalties, it is Croatia and Modric, 37 years young, who will vie to deny Messi his fairy-tale ending.
Tuesday’s semi-final at Lusail Stadium might just boil down to two of the game’s very best.
Messi magic Argentina’s saving grace
After winning the Copa America last year, Argentina were always going to be among the favourites in Qatar. News of Messi confirming this would be his final shot at becoming a world champion only seemed to strengthen La Albiceleste’s claim.
They went into the tournament on the back of a 36-game unbeaten run and they were facing Saudi Arabia in their Group C opener – surely, that streak would be extended to 37? Well, it wasn’t. Messi scored, from the penalty spot, but Argentina slumped to a 2-1 defeat.
It left them needing to beat Mexico and Poland to ensure progress, and they did just that, if far from convincingly, at least against Mexico when Messi, again, was the difference-maker, this time with a low shot from the edge of the box, placed with delicate precision into the bottom corner, and then an assist for Enzo Fernandez’s superb effort.
Messi scored Argentina’s opener against Australia and then managed the match in the closing stages as Scaloni’s team saw out a nervy 2-1 win after Fernandez’s own goal gave the Socceroos hope.
Against the Dutch, Messi assisted Nahuel Molina’s opener with the pass of the tournament – a defence-splitting, eye-of-the-needle throughball – before scoring a 73rd-minute penalty. It should have seen Argentina through comfortably, but they capitulated in the closing stages before rediscovering their composure in the shoot-out (Messi scored in that, too).
As they always do with Messi, the statistics speak for themselves.
Messi’s six goal contributions (four goals, two assists) in this tournament trail only his Paris Saint-Germain club-mate Kylian Mbappe (seven). To further prove his importance to Argentina, he has been involved in 39 shot-ending sequences in open play at this World Cup, 15 more than any of his team-mates.
Source: Livescore