Lionel Messi is 39, has scored in all five of Argentina’s games at this World Cup and, as he proved in thrilling style against Egypt, still has magic in his boots. The quarter-finals begin tonight with France facing Morocco in Boston, and Guardian writers have been asked the question that hangs over the tournament: who would you want on the end of a chance in the 90th minute of the final – Haaland, Mbappé, Kane or Messi?
“A sense of inevitability has been attached to him through Argentina’s first five games,” wrote one. “He’s scored in all of them – and who am I to argue that that wouldn’t continue on the biggest of stages.”
“Lionel Messi, 39, has scored in all five Argentina games at the World Cup as quarter-finals begin.”
Messi’s penalty record of four from eight attempts is much worse than you’d expect, but he is clinical when it matters most. “Even at his geriatric age, he hasn’t lost the ability to decide matches in a moment,” added another writer, pointing to the splendid half-volley that settled the last-16 tie against Egypt despite Messi being “not much of a factor for most of the proceedings”.
Yet the competition is fierce. Erling Haaland is averaging a goal every 14 touches at this tournament, scoring on 38.9% of his shots – the best of any player with at least 10 shots. “If you want the best chance of getting the ball in the net, bang the drum and start rowing,” one analyst wrote. Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, is seen as “uniquely unsolvable” and able to bend games to his will, though one writer noted he would take the younger man in the eighth game of a six-week slog.
The verdict was far from unanimous. “On a cold wet night in Stoke, I may be swayed to take Haaland,” one writer admitted. “At this World Cup, I’m taking Messi.” Another hedged: “If it’s a penalty or a header, not Messi, otherwise definitely him. He gives that sense he is playing the game at a different pace to everybody else.”
Argentina’s run has taken on a transcendental quality, where Messi’s mere presence is enough to make teammates produce the best moments of their international careers. But the defending champions France remain the team to beat, despite the sad elimination of all three host nations in the last 16 – Japan gave Brazil a scare before bowing out. The question now is whether anyone can derail France’s title bid, or whether Messi’s geriatric magic will have the final word.
