Lionel Messi wept tears of joy after dragging Argentina to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup last 16 — but his latest penalty miss has reopened the question of whether the Argentina captain should remain on spot-kick duties.
Trailing 2-0 with little more than 10 minutes remaining, the defending champions staged one of the most incredible comebacks in World Cup history. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit before Messi equalised and Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround in stoppage time. Messi, 39, scored once and created another goal, becoming the oldest player ever to score and assist in a World Cup match — the fifth time he has done so, a record no other player has managed more than three times. He also moved clear as the competition's all-time leading assist provider with nine, overtaking Diego Maradona.
“Messi's penalty miss against Egypt reignites debate over his spot-kick duties, despite his heroics and Beckham's praise.”
Yet from 12 yards, the numbers tell a different story. With Argentina 1-0 down, Messi stepped up after Nicolas Tagliafo's foul but his effort lacked both power and placement. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and made a comfortable save. It was Messi's second missed penalty of the tournament after failing from the spot against Austria in the group stage. No player in World Cup history has missed more.
Despite the miss, plaudits poured in for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami where Messi plays his club football, posted on social media: 'This is one very special Human. Not just because of what he does on the pitch but who is he off it.' In another post, alongside a picture of Messi, he added: 'Nothing more to say.'
The comments echoed those of Neymar, Messi's former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teammate, who told DSports: 'Leo is a much better person off the field. He's good on the field, imagine what he's like off it. That's why I'm so glad I played with him. He's a great friend. We talk a lot. He knows I love him very much.'
The victory was not without controversy. Egypt were left furious after a second-half effort from Zico was ruled out by VAR, while the officials refused to check a penalty claim when Mohamed Salah went down under Alexis Mac Allister's challenge in the build-up to Fernández's winner. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan fumed: 'We looked better than the reigning champions, better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it. Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.'
As Messi prepares for the quarter-finals with eight goals already in the tournament, his off-pitch behaviour earns universal praise from those who know him. But the debate over his penalty-taking refuses to go away. Should Argentina hand the duties to someone else?