Messi was absent for Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey in the Leagues Cup on Saturday but made himself available to coach Guillermo Hoyos for the must-win game against Mexican side Leon.
It is the first time Miami have been knocked out in the opening phase of the competition since the Leagues Cup was expanded in 2023 – the year Messi arrived and they lifted the trophy.
Jorge was Messi’s agent since he was 14, watching him become one of the sport’s greatest ever players and at his side when he captained his country to World Cup glory in 2022.
Argentina reached the final of this summer’s tournament but were beaten 1-0 by Spain in extra time. Messi wrote that his father urged him “to play in one last World Cup” despite his health deteriorating.
Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, who scored his side’s second goal against Leon, called Messi’s return “incredible”, adding he and other team-mates just wanted to support their captain.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Bright said. “It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him.
“It’s a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it’s a lot.”
Leon coach Javier Gandolfi said Messi “is human being that is different to the rest”.
He added: “Today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of.”
Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defeat by Monterrey on Saturday night after the death of his father, as his team-mates led tributes before and during the match.
Jorge Messi died on Saturday at the age of 68 following a long illness.
Jorge, who had also been the Argentina forward’s agent since he was 14, passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
Miami paid tribute to Messi’s father with a minute’s silence before kick-off, while players wore black armbands and Jorge’s name was displayed on the big screens at Nu Stadium.
The club added a black ribbon to their social media profile pictures, and in a statement said: “Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family.”
Messi’s Argentina team-mate Rodrigo de Paul celebrated scoring the opening goal of the 2-1 defeat by taking off his shirt to reveal Messi’s.
Fans held up handmade signs offering their support to Messi and paying tribute to his father.
Miami striker Luis Suarez, who missed the match through suspension, wrote on Instagram that Jorge will continue to watch over his son “with pride, as he always did”.
Messi’s former club Barcelona observed a moment of silence before their 1-0 friendly win against Nottingham Forest in Udine, Italy.
In 2000, Jorge accompanied his 13-year-old son to Catalonia and played a key role in persuading the club to sign him.
Barcelona thanked Jorge “for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career”.
Fans left flags and flowers outside Messi’s childhood home in Rosario, while Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate both held periods of silence before their matches.
The Argentine Football Association said it “deeply mourns with sadness and sorrow the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi”.
It added: “From here, we stand in solidarity with the entire family during this difficult time and send the most heartfelt, warm and affectionate embrace.”
Paris St-Germain, for whom Messi played between 2021 and 2023 after leaving Barcelona, said: “The club sends its full support to Leo, his family and loved ones in this painful ordeal. May he rest in peace.”
Football superstar Lionel Messi returned to Rosario, Argentina with his family on Saturday, a day after his father and longtime agent Jorge Messi died aged 68. His cause of death hasn’t been disclosed, though he had suffered a prolonged illness. Jorge helped guide his son’s career from childhood.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Jorge Messi, the father of soccer star and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, died Saturday at a hospital in the central Argentina city of Rosario. He was 68.
The Rosario-based Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys announced his death in a social media post that said he had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness. The post described him as “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”
The South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL, in a statement also offered its condolences “with respect and affection for Lionel.”
Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this year’s World Cup. In the team’s first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for “a reason unrelated to sports.”
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi hugs his father, Jorge Messi, while his mother, Celia Cuccittini, looks on after a playoff match against Nashville SC in November 2025.
(Leonardo Fernandez / Getty Images)
“I went through some difficult, complicated days,” he said. “I am grateful to the delegation, to all my teammates, because they were always by my side wishing me strength so that I would be OK.”
Media reports at the time outraged the Messi family, which days later released a statement confirming that “Jorge is experiencing a health issue,” without specifying the nature of his condition.
“A person’s health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest,” according to the statement, which also expressed “discomfort at the lack of sensitivity, respect and scruples with which some people have treated a strictly private and family matter.”
Jorge Messi was a chemical technician and worked as a steelworker. He played soccer as a midfielder and reached the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys but had to abandon the sport to complete his mandatory military service in Argentina.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits on the pitch after losing to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
He played a fundamental role in his third son’s career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs. He was the one who traveled with a young Messi to Barcelona in the early 2000s for the trial that would open the doors to La Masia, the Catalan club’s youth academy. Lionel Messi made his professional debut in 2005 and went on to win eight Ballon d’Or awards. He led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.
“My dad was always by my side,” Lionel Messi said in a 2007 interview with Radio del Plata. “Sometimes I would lock myself in my room to cry when we arrived in Barcelona, or my dad would do the same without me seeing him, or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both OK, but we weren’t. My dad even asked me what I wanted to do when we were feeling down, if I wanted to stay or go back, and I wanted to stay, and he stayed with me.”
His father negotiated the contracts with Barça and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while also managing the use of his famous son’s image rights and his numerous investments in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.
In 2016, father and son were convicted in the Spanish courts on tax evasion charges, but avoided prison because the sentence was less than two years.
The Inter Miami forward, 39, also became an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and won the Champions League four times with Barcelona, plus 10 La Liga titles in 17 seasons in their first team.
Jorge supported his local team Newell’s Old Boys and Lionel joined the club when he was seven years old.
The family relocated to Spain in February 2001 after Lionel was signed by Barca aged just 13, and although Messi’s mother and three siblings soon moved back to Rosario, his father stayed with him in Barcelona.
“Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigor and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini,” Newell’s Old Boys posted on X., external
“His constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas [youth academy] to the pinnacle of world football glory.
“Thank you for teaching him to love these colours.”
The club added that they “embrace with affection Celia, Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol, and all their loved ones and close ones in this difficult moment”.
Barcelona thanked Jorge “for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career”.
The Argentine Football Association said it “deeply mourns with sadness and sorrow the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi”.
It added: “From here, we stand in solidarity with the entire family during this difficult time and send the most heartfelt, warm and affectionate embrace.”
The Messi family responded after an Argentine television presenter falsely reported Jorge had died during Argentina’s opening game at this summer’s World Cup.
The presenter later resigned, while the family expressed their “deep discomfort with the lack of sensitivity, respect and discretion with which some people have treated what is strictly a private family matter”.
For San Francisco fans of Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire, the party at Chase Center ended before it even started.
Earth, Wind & Fire abruptly called off its concert at the NorCal venue on Thursday, notifying fans in a social media statement that the cancellation was “due to a medical emergency involving a member of our band.” A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed to The Times that personnel were dispatched at 5:30 p.m. to respond to a medical emergency at Chase Center. One person was transported to a hospital via private ambulance, but the individual’s identity was not disclosed. TMZ reported that the Fire Department responded to a “cardiac incident.”
A representative for Earth, Wind & Fire did not provide additional details. The band said in its post that it has rescheduled Thursday’s show for a later date to be announced soon and that tickets will be valid for the new date. “We sincerely apologize for the unexpected change and appreciate everyone’s understanding,” the band said.
Live Nation announced Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint Sing a Song All Night Long tour in January. The tour kicked off in June but quickly hit a snag when Richie also suffered an unspecified health issue while on the road. Richie, 77, postponed a stop at Chicago’s United Center and another show at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, after he brought his first tour stop to an abrupt end.
The Grammy-winning hitmaker of “Hello” and “Say You, Say Me” unexpectedly stopped the concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times during his performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling” and telling his audience he felt “dizzy,” according to videos shared on social media.
“When you are feeling dizzy, sit your a— down,” he joked, according to video a fan posted to TikTok. “When you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your a— down.”
TMZ reported at the time that the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution. In a statement following the incident, Richie thanked fans for their support and informed them, “I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”
The Sing a Song All Night Long tour is slated to continue Saturday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire are scheduled to play the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sunday. The tour ends Aug. 14 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Messi’s private jet landed near his hometown of Rosario from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 6:27 a.m. Although many fans were waiting with signs and flags, he did not make a public appearance.
“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal,” he posted on his Instagram account. “I cherish all the good moments, memories that will last forever — and the support of an entire nation which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, propelled us once again into the ranks of the world’s best.”
Supporters only caught a brief glimpse of the SUV that met Messi on the tarmac to transport him and his family to the private neighborhood of Funes, roughly 185 miles north of Buenos Aires.
The Argentina captain reportedly traveled with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three children, all of whom had accompanied him throughout the tournament in North America. Waiting for him in Rosario was his 68-year-old father, Jorge, whose ongoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness had been revealed by the family during the World Cup.
Fans had gathered at the airport as early as 3:30 a.m. hoping to catch a sight of the star. Among them were two young girls in La Albiceleste jerseys holding welcome signs, one of which read: “Messi: You’re a legend. Thank you for bringing joy to our hearts. A whole country loves you!”
Messi is expected to rejoin Inter Miami in late July or early August for the ongoing MLS season.
Fifteen members of Argentina’s 26-player World Cup roster, led by head coach Lionel Scaloni, landed at Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport on Monday on a chartered flight.
The squad’s arrival followed Sunday’s 1–0 extra-time loss to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., decided by a Ferran Torres goal.
“It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message,” Messi added. “I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”
The match marked Messi’s third World Cup final appearance, following 2014 and 2022. He ended the tournament as the runner-up for the Golden Boot with eight goals, two behind France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé tops the all-time World Cup goal-scoring chart with 22, one more than Messi.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The spotlight on Sunday’s World Cup final will shine brightest on two men, one playing the last game of his sixth tournament and the other the final game of his first.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 39, is arguably the greatest player in World Cup history, having played more games, scored more goals and collected more assists than anyone who has gone before him. If Argentina wins Sunday, he’ll match another record as captain of the first team to win back-to-back titles in 64 years.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, may be the heir to all that. He’s already scored 56 goals and won seven major trophies for club and country; Messi had 11 goals and four trophies at the same age.
But these are more than just two ships passing in the night. If fact, this isn’t even their first meeting, although neither remembers the day they were introduced in 2007.
Messi was a shaggy-haired 20-year-old, just beginning his unparalleled career with Barcelona while Yamal was a cherubic 3-month-old, just beginning his life. They came together after Yamal’s mother, Sheila, won a raffle run by a local newspaper and Barcelona’s shirt sponsor, the children’s charity UNICEF. She was told the child would pose with an unnamed first-team player for a photo that would appear in a fundraising calendar.
When she carried her son into the dressing room at Barcelona’s stadium for the photo shoot, Messi appeared, having been chosen by chance. The pictures of a clearly uncomfortable Messi helping Sheila bathe her son in a blue plastic tub were published, then forgotten, until Yamal helped Spain win the 2024 European Championship. After the tournament Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, posted the picture online with the caption “The beginning of two legends.”
Lionel Messi, then 20, helps bathe Lamine Yamal, who was 3 months old, with help from Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana, during a photo shoot in September 2007 in Barcelona.
(Joan Monfort/Associated Press)
“It’s unbelievable,” Yamal’s teammate Mikel Merino said Friday. “The first time I saw it, I thought it was AI. It’s funny how life works sometimes. You have these situations you think is scripted by someone. But it’s just how life works, the coincidences of life.”
That they’ll meet again Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium seems more like destiny than coincidence, but who wins the reunion may be decided, in part, by factors other than the play on the field. Smoke from nearly 900 wildfires burning in Canada have blanketed a large swath of the U.S., from Chicago to New York, resulting in poor air quality that forced the postponement of one MLS game Thursday.
The sky above the open-air stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., was noticeably clearer Friday and could improve even more with the heavy rains forecast for Saturday. If those rains linger, however, that could also affect what is shaping up to be a battle of the ages.
Messi has carried Argentina into its third World Cup final since 2014, matching France’s Kylian Mbappé with a tournament-best eight goals and leading all players with 12 goal contributions. Four of his scores either tied the game or put Argentina in front and in Wednesday’s frantic comeback win over England, Messi assisted on the tying and winning goals seven minutes apart.
He seems guaranteed to win his third Golden Ball, which goes to the tournament’s outstanding player. He’s already the only player to win the award twice.
Yamal now plays at Barcelona, Messi’s home for 17 years, and he’s proven to be the same kind of game-changing left-footed playmaker, leading the team in goals (24) and assists (17) in all competition and winning La Liga’s player of the year award this season. Last year, at 18, he finished second in the voting for the Ballon d’Or, an award Messi won eight times.
He’s been quieter in the World Cup, with just a goal in seven games, but Spain has never lost a match he’s played in, going 21-0-6.
Yamal’s father was born in Morocco and his mother in Equatorial Guinea before moving to Catalonia with their families as children. Yamal grew up in a working-class, largely immigrant neighborhood the Spanish newspaper El País described as “forgotten, isolated and stigmatized.” His parents separated when he was 3 and while both remained present in his life, it was his paternal grandmother, Fatima, who sacrificed to support the boy, managing his daily routine to make sure he attended training sessions.
That devotion paid off when Yamal, then just 7, was invited to live and train at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, the same academy the Argentina-born Messi had entered at 13. When Yamal signed his first long-term contract with the team 14 months ago — a contract that could pay him more than $45 million a year in wages, bonuses and sponsorships, making him the team’s best-paid player, as Messi once was — he was given the No. 10 shirt Messi wore.
“In every match he shows that he is the best player in history,” Yamal told a Spanish newspaper. “If someone has doubts, it is because they are looking for them. There is nothing more to say there. For me, he is the best.”
Spain forward Lamine Yamal controls the ball during a World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium at SoFi Stadium on July 10.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
The comparisons and the praise flatter him, said Messi, who then used the same words to describe Yamal as the best.
“There is a new generation of footballers who are very good and who have many years ahead of them. But if I have to choose one because of age, for what he has done so far and for the future he may have, it is Lamine,” he told the Spanish sports journal Diario Sport in May.”There’s no doubt, for me, he’s the best.”
For all the similarities, there are differences. Yamal plays with much more speed and street-football flair and is far more prolific than Messi was at the same age. And while a young Messi focused almost entirely on soccer, Yamal has learned to speak three languages fluently and, unlike Messi, hasn’t kept his politics hidden, waving a Palestinian flag during the club’s parade through Barcelona celebrating its La Liga title last May.
And remember that charity calendar photo with Messi? The one that raised money for UNICEF? Last month Yamal became a goodwill ambassador for the group, focusing on the right to play and supporting children living through humanitarian emergencies.
Turns out some pictures are worth more than a thousand words.
England scored through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute and held the lead for half an hour.
Fernandez struck a brilliant equaliser in the 85th minute, after Messi picked him out near the edge of the penalty area.
Lautaro Martinez then won the game in stoppage time with a header from Messi’s cross.
Between Gordon’s goal and Argentina’s equaliser, England had only 12% of the ball which meant they spent most of the second half defending in deep positions.
It became a tussle of Argentina’s attack versus England’s defence, which lived a charmed life for a while.
Argentina persisted though, with Messi exploiting weaknesses in England’s structure and flaws in individual players’ habits to inspire his side’s comeback.
After getting some joy against Messi in the early stages of the game, Anderson’s front-footed approach became less effective with Messi adapting on the fly to his direct opponent’s playing style.
In fact, Messi began to use Anderson’s aggression against him. He held the ball for as long as possible, drawing the 23-year-old out, before flicking the ball around the corner for team-mates in the knowledge there was now space to attack in the zone Anderson had vacated.
ATLANTA — The jury is still out on whether Lionel Messi is the greatest soccer player ever. But there should be no doubt he’s the greatest to ever play in a World Cup.
And you don’t need the records, the wins or the goals to prove that — although he certainly has enough of those. You just need to see Messi at his most magical, as he was Wednesday, setting up a pair of game-changing goals in a seven-minute span to lift Argentina to a 2-1 win over England and into Sunday’s World Cup final with Spain.
“It’s really hard to speak right now, but I’m going to try not to cry,” Lautaro Martínez, who scored the winning goal two minutes into stoppage time, said in Spanish. “I’m already overwhelmed inside. It’s incredible. Everything we’ve achieved is just incredible.”
Like their 13-game World Cup unbeaten streak, dating to the opening game of the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Or back-to-back trips to the final, which gives them a chance to become the first repeat champion in the men’s tournament since Brazil in 1962.
Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez scores his team’s second goal in front of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (1) and fellow England players Ezri Konsa (2) and John Stones (5) during a World Cup semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday.
(Erik S. Lesser / Associated Press)
But it hasn’t been easy. Eleven of Argentina’s 19 goals — including both scores in Wednesday’s semifinal — have come after the 75th minute. They trailed in the 80th minute or later in two of their last three knockout games, only to rally both times.
And Messi has either scored or assisted on three of the four goals that rescued Argentina.
“This group, in the face of adversity, keeps going, keeps going, and never gets tired,” Martínez said. “And we have the best in the world as our example.”
On Wednesday that meant heartache for England, which was as close to a World Cup final as it has been in six decades, leading 1-0 on Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal with just five minutes left in normal time.
But after taking the lead, England turned strangely conservative, dropping all 11 players behind the ball at times, daring Argentina to score. Eventually it did, with Enzo Fernández curling a right-footed shot from about 20 yards past England keeper Jordan Pickford and in at the left post to tie the game.
It was a pass from Messi that found Fernández in space at the top of the box, earning the Argentine captain his record 11th World Cup assist.
“The opponent doubted themselves,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said. “We smelt blood and went for it. We all felt it. “
The tie didn’t last for long though, with Messi threading a perfect cross from the right wing to Martínez, who found space between English defenders John Stones and Ezri Konsa at the far post. Messi’s pass just cleared the leaping Stones, then dipped to Martínez, who nodded it home.
England’s Harry Kane and England’s Jude Bellingham are dejected after losing to Argentina during a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
When the ball hit the net, the sellout crowd at Atlanta’s massive Mercedes-Benz Stadium erupted.
“Once again, despite falling behind, we managed to turn the game around in stoppage time. That speaks volumes about this group, about this team that never settles, always wants more, always strives for more,” Martínez said.
It also gives Messi a chance to strive for more in Sunday’s final. He has already played in more World Cup games, scored more World Cup goals and had more World Cup assists than any man in history. With a win over Spain, he can join another elite group of men: those who have won back-to-back World Cup titles.
History will eventually decide if it was Messi’s brillance or the tactical surrender of England coach Thomas Tuchel that truly turned the game around. Tuchel, however, said he had no regrets.
“We played the matches how they were,” he said. “We overcame every obstacle. We were very, very close today. It’s not a moment now to analyze the full tournament because we lost a crucial match.”
His captain, Harry Kane, who lost in the semifinal of a World Cup for the second time in three tournament, was also not interested in second-guessing.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits on the shoulders of a teammate and celebrates after beating England in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
“We had a lot of good moments in this tournament, a lot of good games,” he said. “We talked about knocking on the door. We’re close, we just have to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament.”
They may be closer than they think: England is the only team this century to score the first goal in a World Cup semifinal but not reach the final, according to the OptaJoe statistical service.
Argentina’s team, meanwhile, is missing nothing — except maybe a second title,
“The people of Argentina should celebrate being in a final,” Scaloni said. “This group of players is difficult to describe in words. They are so special. I’m getting emotional. They fight for everything.
“We’re going to try to win the final. But what else does this team need to do? There isn’t much else to say. I’m eternally grateful to this group of players.”
Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.
While every World Cup introduces viewers to new young stars, this tournament featured eight players who were older than 40 — one more than the number of over-40 players in the previous 22 World Cups combined.
Among them were Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, and Mexico’s Memo Ochoa, 40, who were playing in their sixth World Cups alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi, a relative youngster at 39. No one has played in more men’s World Cups.
But while Ronaldo and Ochoa have gone home, Messi will be playing in his third semifinal in four tournaments Wednesday when Argentina, the reigning champion, faces England at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The newfound longevity of elite soccer players has been made possible by advances in sports medicine, diet and analytics that measure everything from biomechanics and heart rate to muscular output and sleep cycles, all in real time. And injuries that once ended careers can now be repaired through outpatient procedures.
Argentina star Lionel Messi holds his jersey up and celebrates with teammates after a World Cup quarterfinal win over Switzerland on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
(David Ramos / Getty Images)
“Over the past 10, 20 years, the sports science within the game has changed a lot,” said Liam Anderson, an exercise physiologist at the University of Birmingham in England, who has worked as an applied practitioner in top-flight professional soccer for more than a decade.
“Players are now definitely more aware of their bodies and I think the professionalism has changed quite a lot as well. But they’re also in tune with the things which are helping them recover, manage their training load and ultimately stay fitter and healthier for longer.”
Gone are the days when chain-smoking Dutch legend Johan Cruyff would light up a cigarette on the bench, French world champion Zinedine Zidane would smoke in the locker room and George Best would party and drink so hard he would disappear for days at a time.
“There’s a couple of reasons,” Dr. Michael Joyner, a specialist in the physiology of elite athletes at the Mayo Clinic, said of the growing lifespan of soccer players. “The first is that people just make a lot more money and as a result, there’s tremendous incentive to keep playing. The second is people are taking much better care of themselves.”
“You just don’t hear about people like George Best anymore,” said Joyner, speaking for himself and not the clinic where he works.
“Diet is huge,” Anderson added. “High-protein diets and fueling with carbohydrates for matches. Nutritional strategies have changed considerably in the last 10-15 years.”
And those diets are tailored by position since a midfielder, who may run more than seven miles in a match, burns more calories than a goalkeeper.
As the eldest player in Major League Soccer, Diego Chara has had to make some concessions to age.
“It’s a little detailed,” said Chara, a midfielder with the Portland Timbers. “Talking about recovery time, it maybe takes a little bit longer than before. Nutrition. Working in the gym, it’ll be longer than other players.”
But if Chara, 40, is an old man in a league where the average age is younger than 26, he would have been something of whippersnapper in this summer’s World Cup.
The Portland Timbers’ Diego Chará passes the ball under pressure from the Columbus Crew’s Wessam Abou Ali on Feb. 21in Portland, Ore.
(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
Soccer isn’t the only sport in which 40 is the new 30.
Serena Williams returned to Wimbledon this summer at age 44 and at least half a dozen athletes 40 and older showed up at the Milan-Cortina Olympics last February hoping to medal. Four of them succeeded, including American Elana Meyers Taylor, 41, who became the oldest athlete to win an individual gold in Winter Olympics history in the women’s monobob.
It isn’t unheard of for athletes to be golden in their golden years. Ted Williams hit .316 at 41 and Gordie Howe played 80 games and had 41 points in his final NHL season at 52. Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter and pitched 173 innings at 44 while Tom Brady quarterbacked the Tampa Bay Bucs to a Super Bowl title at 43.
But if those age-defying performances were outliers, playing into your mid-40s and even early 50s may soon become, if not common, at least less unusual.
“People are just staying in better shape, taking care of themselves,” Joyner said. “Career-changing or career-ending injuries are no longer career-ending injuries. It just goes on and on, all of this stuff combined.”
American Serena Williams, 44, serves against Australian Maya Joint during a match at Wimbledon on June 30.
(Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
State-of-the-art training centers and access to top-line sports medicine have also become more accessible, even in poor countries.
“The elite level has spread and really become global, as opposed to where there used to be pockets,” Joyner said. “The opportunities to compete are so great.”
Few team sports are as physically demanding as soccer, though, which makes both the growing number of seasoned citizens and their performances noteworthy. Messi has averaged nearly a game a week for club and country during the past 23 years, yet he entered the semifinals of this tournament tied for the scoring lead with France’s Kylian Mbappé, who is 12 years younger.
Ronaldo has played even more games yet he became the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout game when his penalty kick helped eliminate Croatia and midfielder Luka Modric, who will be 41 in less than two months.
“They’ve probably lost a little bit off the top, but their experience and their mind make up for that,” said Scott Trappe, a professor of human bioenergetics at Ball State. “So the overall package of them as a sports person is really they’re contributing at a high level. I think we’re going to continue to see this movement.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring a World Cup group stage goal against Uzbekistan on June 23 in Houston.
(Charlotte Wilson / Getty Images)
“They like playing the sport and as long as they can and contribute and they make these teams, they’re going to do it. I don’t see the trend going away.”
And that will not only change the way we think of sports and athletes, it will completely rewrite the record book. Messi, for instance, entered the semifinals of this World Cup as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 21 goals. But that was just one ahead of Mbappé, who could appear in another three or four World Cups.
“No question,” Trappe said. “You look what’s going on in pro cycling. We’ve got some guys in their upper 30s competing in the Tour de France, but we also have a teenager competing. So this lifespan, what used to be a five- to eight-year period for cycling at the at the highest levels is turning out to be, you know, double or triple that.”
Both Messi and Ronaldo have benefited from how they play as well, walking rather running for long stretches of the game to conserve energy for the burst they need to lose a defender. It’s a strategy Mbappé, Norway’s Erling Haaland and other young players have adopted and if they do that over enough games, the wear and tear it saves could add years to the end of their careers.
“We are expanding. The age will start moving up a little bit further up and players’ careers will definitely be longer,” Anderson said. “The sort of normal distribution of playing age will begin to move forward and that experience within the squad will be key.’
Argentina’s Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal match against Switzerland on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
(Charlie Riedel / Ap Photo/charlie Riedel)
Consider Wednesday’s semifinalists. In its quarterfinal win, Argentina used six players older than 32 and two — Messi and defender Nicolas Otamendi — who are over 38. The spine of England’s team runs from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford through defender John Stones to striker Harry Kane, who are all 32.
“We’re coming up with new ways on how to improve and maximizing potential,” Anderson said. “God gave us what we are and it’s maximizing that, not necessarily changing that.”
That knowledge won’t stay in the stadiums and locker rooms for long, expanding to others who choose to adopt the same wellness discipline as professional athletes.
“It cycles down,” Trappe said. “We’re studying that in the lab at a pretty high level. This sort of healthy lifestyle in terms of functionality and extending into our later years and having a higher quality life, there’s data starting to emerge there.
“These types of things are going to trickle into that for sure.”
Rodrigo de Paul has become, in this Argentina squad, what Jose Manuel Pinto once was at Barcelona, or Luis Suarez later became: the team-mate with whom Messi instantly feels at home.
Their bond was forged on international duty. Until then, the midfielder’s only connection to Messi had been asking for a photo after a Valencia–Barcelona match, which he proudly posted on social media.
One afternoon, he noticed Messi leave training alone, looking subdued. Concerned, De Paul waited about 40 minutes before knocking on his door.
“Fancy a mate and a game of truco?”
A friendship began, with its own strict etiquette. Mate, the drink, together every morning in De Paul’s room. In order of arrival, Leo first, then other members of the squad. If they got up too early, they have to wait for the moment to get to De Paul’s room, nobody can jump the routine.
De Paul sometimes calls Messi ‘El Pequeno’ (the little one), even though he is the oldest in the room.
He needles him, treats him like a normal guy rather than a monument, because that is what Messi actually more often than not wants: to be Leo, not Messi. De Paul knows him well enough to sense when to leave him alone, too.
Walking out to the pitch, Messi leads, De Paul at his side, the rest of the squad fanning out behind almost in a wedge – like a street gang protecting its leader.
For many of this group Messi was never simply a team-mate first, he was the childhood idol on television, the reason some of them picked up a ball at all.
The whole squad wears the same boots, the Adidas Adistar Messi. For his birthday in June, the players wore a T-shirt printed with a photo of themselves alongside Leo from some point across his years with the national team.
England left-back Nico O’Reilly is relishing the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to face Lionel Messi in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel’s secured a place in the final four with a draining 2-1 win against Norway in the Miami heat on Saturday, and now face a match in Atlanta against the defending world champions, who saw off Switzerland 3-1.
It will be the first time Messi has faced England, and at 39, it could be the last. Manchester City defender O’Reilly has never faced him at club level either.
“I can’t wait,” O’Reilly, who will probably have to defend against Messi one-on-one if he starts at left-back, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He’s coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch. And yeah, I can’t wait for the challenge.”
Messi began the tournament with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Algeria as he became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, equalling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16, which had stood since 2014.
The Argentina captain has since scored five more to take that record – his total of eight goals putting him joint-first with France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race, and taking his career World Cup tally to 21.
While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is Argentina’s main threat, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford warned against ignoring the other talents in Lionel Scaloni’s side.
“He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career. It’s great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid,” Pickford told media at England’s training base in Kansas on Monday.
“We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can’t solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We’ve got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.”
The winner of the semi-final will face either France or Spain – who play each other on Tuesday (20:00 BST) – in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July (20:00 BST).
Everyone knew going in that Lionel Messi would be the narrative centerpiece of the 2026 World Cup. Easily the most recognized name in the competition, Messi is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and, as the captain of 2022 winner Argentina, he is the reigning World Cup champ. At 18, he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 and has competed in every World Cup since. He celebrated his 39th birthday before this year’s knockout rounds began, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that this will be his last.
No matter what Messi did, or failed to do, it would be News. Everyone with even a passing interest in the event knew this. Including me.
But I didn’t expect to completely fall for the guy. He’s a professional male athlete, for heaven’s sake, and I don’t emotionally invest in professional male athletes. Admire some of them, sure; watch with bated breath and then scream in astonishment when they pull off some amazing feat or another, absolutely. But the only athletes that have ever touched my heart have been women — Nadia Comăneci; Billie Jean King and the Title IX-sparking stars of women’s tennis; Dorothy Hamill; Brandi Chastain and 1999 Women’s World Cup winners; Venus and Serena Williams; Simone Biles; Caitlin Clark.
But here I am, at age 62, truly, madly, deeply in love with Lionel Messi.
I know, I know, me and half the world. Which normally would serve as an effective prophylactic. I am habitually wary of super-intense fandoms and the men who inspire them; stadiums filled with people chanting a single name inevitably set off internal alarm bells. As I have asked several times in columns throughout the years, how many “heroes” must we watch falter under pressure or be exposed for decidedly unheroic acts before we wise up and get out of the pedestal-placement business?
Yet here I am, stalking him on Instagram, up all hours flicking through interviews and career highlight clips. (I even watched the Apple TV docuseries “Messi Meets America”!) Here I am, literally praying to God, who clearly has more important things to do, for Argentina to advance and screaming Messi’s name every time he scores, assists or pretty much does anything at all.
In a matter of weeks, I have become addicted not just to watching the man play but seeing how he reacts when a shot is made or a game won.
Every World Cup player is happy when they or their team scores, but Messi is delighted. Like a kid seeing a puppy under the tree on Christmas morning. Like he cannot believe this wonderful thing that has just happened even if he was the one who sweat and ran and defied physics to make it happen.
His smile is infectious and even when he is running toward the stands, arms spread wide, after making some impossible shot or other, it never seems self-congratulatory. He is simply filled with joy and wants to spread it around. The field, the stadium, the world.
And his hugs. Long, deep, radiating emotion, utterly unself-conscious. Everyone needs to find someone who hugs them like Messi hugs people — teammates, coaches, opposing players, young fans. I could watch videos of him hugging his mentor and former teammate Ronaldinho or Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni all day long. (I’m not saying I have, nor am I saying I haven’t.)
Sometimes the hype gets a bit nauseating — former teammates who claim he never makes a mistake, commentators who refer to him as superhuman (despite the fact that he has missed as many penalty kicks as he has made in this World Cup). Whether Messi himself agrees that he is the GOAT is none of my business, but he doesn’t act like many sports stars who have received similar adulation. He doesn’t peacock, he doesn’t preen; he is visibly angry with himself when he doesn’t produce. He isn’t perfect — in various past games, he has gotten into heated disputes and shoving matches and famously (and many believe deservedly) taunted Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal during World Cup 2022. But for a man who has been such a star for so long, he presents himself as simply a player among players. The captain, certainly, but not the most important person on the field.
That is the most lovable, and superhuman, thing about him.
It feels pretty basic, not to mention embarrassing, to have a sudden summer crush on Messi, but I don’t care. He’s married to his childhood sweetheart, has three adorable sons and a picture of his mother tattooed on his back. He lets his teammates hoist him in the air and allows sports commentators to regularly (and lovingly) refer to him as “Little Messi.” He gets angry sometimes, but in this tournament he has yet to noticeably hector the refs or rumble with his opponents. He wants to win, obviously, but his joy comes from playing the game well rather than defeating another team.
That’s why, despite my newfound addiction to Messi delight, the moment I loved him best was when he didn’t celebrate at all. In the round of 32, Argentina (No. 2 in FIFA rankings) seemed guaranteed a win over Cape Verde (67). But even with Messi’s early goal, the game was a nail-biter, with Cape Verde scoring two brilliant goals while their goalie Vozinha made eight saves, including four shots (one of them a free kick) from Messi. After Argentina won in additional playing time, there was none of the usual jubilation. Instead, a subdued Messi walked to the midfield to shake hands with his opponents, a sign of exhaustion, no doubt, but also of respect. He hugged Vozinha and told him that his country should be proud of him.
The exuberance was back Tuesday, however, when, after trailing Egypt for most of the round of 16 game, Argentina managed to pull off the comeback of the tournament, going from a 0-2 deficit to a 3-2 win after the 79th minute, with Messi scoring the tying goal.
This time, the smiles, the hugs, the radiant joy filling Atlanta Stadium could have powered the entire state of Georgia. This time, Messi was so happy, he wept.
So did I. The World Cup is over in less than two weeks, and France and Spain are currently the 1-2 favorites to win the thing. My love for Messi is, after all, just a summer romance.
And as with any summer romance, I want it to last forever.
Would Messi have been lost to the World Cup forever had Argentina lost?
He would be 43 – the oldest outfield player to play at a World Cup – if he carried on to the next, though the lure of games being played in his home country may have sustained him.
Instead, Messi can look forward to a quarter-final here against either Switzerland or Colombia.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, watching in Atlanta for BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “That was incredible. Spectacular. Argentina were down and out. They were out of the tournament at one point.
“Egypt are so frustrated with the refereeing decisions that have gone against them. They had a second goal disallowed before they got their second goal for an infringement that was almost on their own touchline.
“Then Lionel Messi just stepped in and took over. Beautiful assist, great finish for his goal, and then the substitutions worked for Argentina.”
Argentina’s recovery, and this was not simply the Messi show it should be said, also had implications for England who, when Egypt led, might just have believed it was a ‘now or never’ moment for reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966.
England’s path to the final was shaping up as Norway in the quarter-finals, then Egypt, Switzerland or Colombia in the last four if they got through.
Instead, there remains the shadow of Messi and Argentina as the potential obstacle should they overcome the dangerous Norwegians.
And Messi, even in advancing years, casts a giant shadow over any opponents, as Egypt found to their cost.
Messi became the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout-phase games and now has eight goals in this one. It is the most by a player in the opening five games since West Germany’s Gerd Muller scored 10 in Mexico in 1970.
He has also contributed to 16 goals in his past nine World Cup games, with 13 goals and three assists.
England’s concern will be he still has the power to add more. And looks in the mood to do so.
Lionel Richie appears to be on the mend from the unspecified health issue that prompted him to cancel a pair of concerts in June.
The 77-year-old Grammy-winning “Hello” and “All Night Long” singer on Sunday thanked fans for “every message, every kind word and for all your love” on Instagram, sharing photos from recent concerts. He also seemingly addressed his health, writing, “I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”
In late June, Richie unexpectedly hit pause on his concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times while performing “Dancing on the Ceiling.” According to videos shared on social media, the singer told his audience that he felt “dizzy.” Later in the evening saxophonist Dino Soldo told concert attendees that Richie was “not feeling well” and would not continue the show.
TMZ reported at the time that the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution. Richie then postponed his following concerts at Chicago’s United Center and the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. He returned to the stage June 30 for his show in Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh and Detroit were an absolute joy,” Richie said Sunday of his recent concerts. “The energy, the dancing, the faces in the crowd … we made real memories together.” The singer also performed in Toronto on Saturday and in Montreal on Sunday. He is next set to perform in Boston on Wednesday.
Live Nation unveiled Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint tour in January, revealing a 26-city lineup with concerts in Chicago, Orlando, Fla., San Francisco and Los Angeles. Richie and the group are scheduled to play Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on Aug. 9. The tour ends Aug. 14 with a show at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Lionel Richie brought the first stop on his summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire to an abrupt stop Wednesday evening, citing his health.
The 77-year-old Grammy winner, hitmaker of “Hello” and “Say You, Say Me,” unexpectedly hit pause on the concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times during his performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling” and telling his audience he felt “dizzy,” according to videos shared on social media.
“What I have learned about my years of being in the business, when you are feeling dizzy, sit your a— down,” he joked, according to a TikTok posted Wednesday evening by user ynaffitmocha. “When you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your a— down.”
Moments later, saxophonist Dino Soldo informed the audience that the singer was “not feeling well” and would not continue the concert. A representative for the singer did not respond to a request for comment, but TMZ reported on Thursday the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution.
A spokesperson for the Saint Paul Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation on Thursday.
Live Nation announced “American Idol” judge Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint tour in January, unveiling a 26-city circuit that includes stops in Chicago, Orlando, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Richie and the “September” group are next set to perform at the United Center in Chicago on Friday and again at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. It is currently unclear whether Richie will resume performing for those concerts.
Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire are scheduled to play Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on Aug. 9. The tour ends Aug. 14 with a show at the Moody Center in Austin.
LIONEL Richie has been reportedly taken to hospital after he took a funny turn on stage and was forced to end the concert.
The 77-year-old was performing at the Grand Casino Arena in Minnesota when his ill spell happened and had to take a moment to sit down.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Lionel is touring his Sing A Song All Night Long show throughout the summer (pictured in May)Credit: GettyThe Commodores frontman was performing in Minnesota when he had to cut the gig early due to a dizzy spell (pictured back in April)Credit: Getty
TMZ reports that the star halted his gig and was attended to paramedics backstage where he was subsequently sent packing to hospital.
Sources told the publication that the hospital trip was part of a precautionary measure.
The Sun has contacted representatives for Richie for comment.
In a video from the gig shared online, the music icon is seen attempting to finish performing his hit Dancing On The Ceiling while sat on the steps leading up to the live band.
Lionel had to sit down while singing hit song Dancing on the CeilingCredit: GettyThe 77-year-old was subsequently taken to hospital in an ambulance after the funny turnCredit: Getty
While he got back to his feet to carry on, he was forced to sit down again amid a second dizzy spell.
He is seen in the footage catching his breath, perched on the edge of the stage, while trying to continue with the song.
As explained in the post shared to X, Lionel managed to perform one more song, sat at the piano.
After departing the stage, Lionel’s saxophonist Dino Soldo told the crowd that the hitmaker wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be returning to the stage, ending the show.
Lionel was appearing with Earth, Wind & Fire as part of their joint tour hitting 26 venues across the States.
The Easy musician is next expected to appear for a gig in Chicago on Friday night.
“I couldn’t care less about others,” Ronaldo said in the mixed zone on Tuesday when asked about Messi’s five goals in the opening two games of the World Cup …Mbappe also scored.”
As much as the Portugal forward may say otherwise, seeing the biggest stars in world football come to the fore at this tournament would have been a source of motivation. Especially Messi.
“I believe both players have improved football over the years, and their rivalry is important for themselves to grow,” Martinez conceded.
“He wants to be the best at what he does,” Rooney said of Ronaldo’s attitude towards Messi. “So, of course, when the other top forwards are scoring goals, he wants to be top of that list. His response here is exactly what you’d expect.
“He’s selfish in the sense that he wants to be the best, but he’s a team player also. It’s incredible to watch Messi last night and Ronaldo tonight. At their age, it’s incredible what they are doing.”
Ronaldo and Messi have both had to adapt their games to stay at the top.
Since turning 35, Messi has found a new level on the international stage, scoring 12 goals in his last nine World Cup matches. That’s two more than Ronaldo’s total of 10 and would place him seventh on the all-time World Cup scoring list, level with Brazilian icon Pele.
Messi had scored just six in his first 19 games in the competition, between the ages of 18 and 34.
The turn in form has happened since leaving Barcelona. It could be argued since leaving the Catalan club, he may have prioritised playing for Argentina. Many from his country argued that he had not when competing at the top of Europe in his peak years.
Lionel Messi cemented his status as arguably the greatest football player of the modern era after sweeping aside several records as he powered his side to the round of 32 at the World Cup — the Argentinian captain’s record sixth appearance.
Messi broke the record for the highest number of goals in the history of the World Cup after scoring his team’s opening goal in their Group J match against Austria on Monday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
He then added another in the final minutes, taking his tally to 18 goals in six tournaments to reach the top of the charts to deafening roars at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick, who has revived the national side since taking over in 2022, attempted to break down the nearly 39-year-old Argentinian maestro’s work ethic.
“Lionel Messi maybe doesn’t put in the same legwork as in the past,” Rangnick said.
“He likes to stay on the side, and sometimes he likes to stop in front of the goal, in the offside position.
“That doesn’t mean that they have one man less, but they have one man less that works in the counter-pressing.
“But that makes him so dangerous, because he might be in a position, free in a position, and we need to be prepared for that.
“We shouldn’t have too many transition moments, and not allow transition moments, and not allow him to be free to accept the ball.”
‘Very angry’
That notion unravelled in front of a frenzied crowd of 70,000 dominated by Argentina fans decked out in light blue and white.
Messi pulled an early penalty wide to pass up the chance to move clear of Miroslav Klose for the most World Cup goals.
Messi said afterwards that he was “very angry” with himself, and then twice came close to scoring after that, only for Austria captain David Alaba to deny him twice.
And then came the big moment, Messi sweeping in on 38 minutes after being set up by Facundo Medina.
Just as Rangnick had warned, Messi had ambled into space and was all alone to score with a trademark swing of his left foot.
It was his 17th World Cup goal, and his 18th arrived when Messi pounced again in the fifth minute of injury time.
This time, the veteran squeezed home as several defenders threw themselves desperately at the ball.
Messi, at his sixth World Cup, was still going strong in the 95th minute.
The goals took the maestro to five at this edition, having hit a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria.
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match Argentina against Austria, in Dallas, USA, on June 22, 2026 [Jeffrey McWhorter/EPA]
Last Messi the best one?
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi’s teammate at the 2006 World Cup, has built an ecosystem around Messi to allow his captain to do his thing.
That means letting others do the running around him.
Not that Messi is totally exempt from the dirty work.
“Today, when the team was struggling without possession, he put in the work,” Scaloni said.
“You could see his commitment, that speaks volumes about him.”
Renowned Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote an authoritative biography of Messi, said before the World Cup that this version of the player was “very different” from the one that burst onto the scene with Barcelona in the early 2000s.
“Messi has reinvented himself at least five times to evolve into the player he is now for Argentina and Inter Miami,” Balague wrote in a column for the BBC.
“He has adapted so he can dominate and stay ahead of a game that has always been chasing him,” he added.
He noted how Pablo Aimar, Messi’s childhood idol, once said: “The last Messi is always the best Messi.”
That version is a player who walks more than he runs, said Balague, but “still sees everything first”.
“Critics once used this [lack of running] against him. Now it reads as mastery,” he wrote.
Messi scores twice to become all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history as Argentina reach knockout rounds.
Published On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026
Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history as the captain struck twice to give Argentina a 2-0 win over Austria and send the champions into the last 32.
The player widely regarded as the greatest of all time pounced late in the first half in Texas on Monday with a trademark left-footed finish after neat build-up play.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The predatory goal added to his hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match to make it 17 in total at the World Cup.
The 38-year-old then sealed the match deep in injury time after a scramble in the box, as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.
It should have been even better for Messi, who missed a penalty early on, stunning a fiercely pro-Argentina 70,649 crowd at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.
With both sides knowing a win would put them into the knockout rounds with a game to spare, Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the box, sandwiched by two Austrian players.
Referee Amin Mohamed gave a penalty after a VAR intervention, and a wall of noise went up as Messi stepped forward on nine minutes.
But his run-up was slow and his weak effort off target, dragging it wide.
For all his brilliance, Messi – who turns 39 on Wednesday – is surprisingly poor from the penalty spot by his standards.
He also saw his spot-kick saved by Wojciech Szczesny in a 2-0 win over Poland at the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina went on to be champions, and missed at the 2018 tournament.
In the 19th minute Messi had a clear sniff at goal, only for Austria captain David Alaba to steal the ball off his toes at the last moment as he danced through on goal.
Alaba denied Messi again just after the half-hour mark, blocking his goalbound shot with goalkeeper Alexander Schlager stranded.
Ralf Rangnick’s Austria, who beat debutants Jordan 3-1 in their opener, were content to sit back. They did not have a shot on target in the first half.
Messi celebrates scoring Argentina’s first goal [Troy Taormina/Reuters]
Messi makes history
And then the came the big moment, Messi sweeping in on 38 minutes after being set up by Facundo Medina, with Thiago Almada cleverly letting the ball run through his legs to leave Argentina’s talisman all on his own and the goal gaping.
The Argentina fans, who greatly outnumbered their Austrian counterparts, rose to acclaim their hero.
Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals when hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria in the holders’ opening game.
Lionel Scaloni’s side failed to build on their lead, and the second half drifted, neither side creating much.
If anything, Austria threatened slightly more, but Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was only once seriously troubled.
And then up popped Messi to have the last word at the death.
Julian Alvarez’s initial attempt was saved by Schlager but the rebound was worked to Messi who, after seeing his first shot blocked, pounced to drive in a low strike from six yards out that confirmed the points.
Haaland had to wait until the age of 25 not just to make his World Cup debut, but his international tournament bow too.
And the Leeds-born striker is clearly eager to make up for lost time.
“He’s the opposite of Mbappe and Messi,” Williams said. “He’ll beat you without the ball, which makes it even more dangerous.
“You want to help your midfield by squeezing up, so they don’t have to cover too much distance.
“But as soon as you leave the space in behind, he’s going to exploit that straight away.”
One of the keys to limiting Haaland’s influence, Williams says, is to prevent his team mates getting the ball to him.
“You’ve got to stop the balls in behind first and foremost,” Williams said. “Stop the supply going into him.
“If you can play your distances between your midfield and limit his chances, you’ve got half a chance.
“There’s not many times when he actually drops in, gets the ball, beats four players, and scores his own goal, so he does feed off what he’s getting served.”
Haaland is the most clinical of the four, with 57 goals in just 51 caps.
“He’s more lethal,” Williams added. “If he gets a chance, it’s probably going to be a goal.”
What about dealing with Haaland one on one?
“Around the box, you’ve got to get tight and try to get him on his right foot,” Williams said.
“Then you’re just going to have to be as strong as you can, don’t be clever, just get the ball away and buy time.”
