Lionel Messi, the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer and current top scorer with five goals, will start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on the bench, manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed.
Scaloni said the decision to rest the 39-year-old superstar was not injury related as he spoke before the match in Dallas, which will kick-off at 03:00 BST on Sunday.
“World Cup top scorer Lionel Messi will start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on the bench.”
"Leo [Messi] will most likely come on in the second half," Scaloni said. "We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it's also good for him to stay in competitive form."
Messi leads the Golden Boot standings after a double against Austria made him the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer. Scaloni insisted the decision was tactical, not linked to future matches. "The decision of who plays tomorrow is not related to who plays in the next match," he said. "Jordan is a good opponent, and our intention will be to have the ball and dominate through possession. The opponent's forwards are fast and we will have to take that into account."
Meanwhile, the Golden Boot race is heating up. Ousmane Dembele put himself into contention with a first-half hat-trick in France's 4-1 win over Norway, moving to four goals for the tournament. Kylian Mbappe failed to add to his four goals in that game, while Erling Haaland, also on four goals, stayed on the bench throughout.
The race for top scorers honour is intensifying with every game.