Messi at 39 Is Still Haunting This World Cup — but Mbappé Could Be Argentina's Nightmare in the Quarters
The Guardian debates who can stop France in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals. Messi has scored in every game, but Mbappé could be Argentina's worst nightmare.
Thirty-nine years old. Five games. Five goals. Lionel Messi is turning the 2026 World Cup into yet another chapter that is impossible to look away from.
According to The Guardian, which gathered its columnists to assess the quarterfinals, there is a "sense of inevitability" surrounding Messi at this tournament — and his brilliant performance against Egypt only reinforced it. The catch? His penalty record stands at four out of eight attempts, well below what you would expect from someone of his calibre. But when the moment demands it, he delivers.
On the other side of the debate sits Erling Haaland, who scores on 38.9% of his shots and finds the net every 14 touches of the ball — absurd numbers, according to the Guardian's analysis. Yet it is Kylian Mbappé who steals the spotlight in the discussion about who could stop Argentina. "Both he and Messi seem unsolvable," the columnists write — and, in the eighth game of a six-week marathon, some are backing the younger Frenchman.
France remains the heavy favourite for the title. The Golmetria model gives the French a 13.26% chance of lifting the trophy — compared with 22.29% for Argentina, who lead the field according to the numbers. Curiously, the market sees France with an implied probability of 17.86%, well ahead of the 9.09% assigned to La Albiceleste.
What the Guardian highlights, however, goes beyond statistics: there is something transcendent about Messi's Argentina. His mere presence, the columnists write, is capable of lifting any teammate to the best moment of his international career.
Quarterfinals. Eight teams. One trophy. The question the entire football world wants answered: can anyone stop France — or is it Messi who is about to rewrite the script?