Lionel Messi has been dubbed the greatest player of all time as he led Argentina to the World Cup final – and surely one last chance to win the game’s most famous trophy before retiring.
The fact that he has never won a World Cup – unlike his compatriot Diego Maradona or the Brazilian Pelé – has sometimes played against him in debates over the best of all time, but he has a chance to do so. remedy Sunday against France or Morocco.
It was Messi’s 1,002nd senior football game, his 791st goal and his 340th assist. He won 35 trophies with Barcelona, last season’s French title with current club Paris St-Germain and the 2021 Copa America with Argentina.
Ex-England defender Jamie Carragher tweeted after his Lusail masterclass that Messi is “the best ever”.
Former England striker Alan Shearer, watching the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Would that end the debate about Maradona or Messi?
“We said if Messi wins the World Cup here, maybe it should be him. That’s the difference, that was the dividing point. Maradona won the World Cup. If Messi had to win the win here, my perspective would change.”
Rob Green, who played for England at the 2010 World Cup, believes Messi would trade that accolade for victory on Sunday.
“If you asked Messi if he wanted to be the best in the world or if he wanted this medal, he would want this medal on Sunday,” the former goalkeeper said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “One takes care of the other.
“He would rip your hand off for a World Cup winner’s medal now. He’s done so much for football.”
On Sunday, Messi will make his 26th World Cup appearance, an all-time record, beating Lothar Matthaus’s former mark.
He is Argentina’s top scorer in World Cup history, with 11 goals, and is the only player to record an assist in five World Cups. Messi is also the only player to have scored in the World Cup in his teenagers, 20s and 30s.
Messi’s Argentina lost the 2014 final to Germany – but he was awarded the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player.
On Sunday, he could complete the sweep of the World Cup winner, Ballon d’Or and Golden Shoe. He passed his Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe in the top scorer race by virtue of more assists, the pair both on five goals.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni says ‘I have no doubts’ whether Messi is the greatest of all time.
“I’ve been saying this for a long time. I’m honored to be able to watch him train. There’s nothing more to say about Messi, it’s a privilege to have him in this team,” said the former defender of West Ham.
Messi stretched his hamstrings at times earlier in the game – and no longer had the pace he once had – but he made a remarkable solo run to score Alvarez’s second goal.
“Argentina are in the final because of Messi,” Shearer said. “Everyone is looking at him. He’s not working as hard as he used to and maybe he’s not as quick as he was all those years ago.
“But he still has that magic, that ability to twist and turn and run with the ball and get past those defenders with ease. He can sometimes make the best look ridiculously average.”
Pablo Zabaleta, Messi’s former Argentina team-mate, told BBC TV: “Messi has been amazing. That corner, he’s so sharp in those spaces. When he’s inside the box you don’t want the touch. It was a great pass for a tap-in from Alvarez. It was an amazing goal. Every time Messi got on the ball it looked like something was going to happen again.
Messi himself said: “I appreciate that a lot. I feel really good, I feel strong enough to face every game. I feel very happy in this World Cup. I’m able to help the team .”
On Instagram, Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez wrote: “You never get tired of proving you’re the best in the world.”
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic, whose side lost to France in the 2018 final, knew his team had been beaten by a great.
“There’s not much to say about Messi,” he said. “The best player in the world and very good and very dangerous today. He’s the real Messi we expected to see.”
If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.
