Messi Turns 39 at the World Cup — and Is Somehow Playing Better Than Ever
Messi turns 39 while smashing all-time World Cup records. A hat-trick, five goals in two games, and Argentina looking more dangerous than ever.
Something absurd is happening at this World Cup. Lionel Messi turned 39 on Wednesday — and he is playing like he is 26.
The script so far reads like a film: a hat-trick against Algeria to equal Miroslav Klose's all-time record, then two more against Austria to surpass it. In doing so, Messi also moved past Gerd Müller and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of the all-time leading scorers in World Cup history.
Five goals in two games. He needs just two more to match everything he did in Qatar in 2022 — when he led Argentina to the title. And we are still in the group stage.
What makes it all even more remarkable: months ago, nobody knew whether he would show up at all. Messi's silence before the tournament fuelled rumours that he might not take part. "It depends on him, on how he feels mentally and physically," Scaloni said in March. The doubt was very real.
When he confirmed he was coming, it was cause for celebration. Now, it is total domination. As well as leading the scoring charts, he appears as the tournament's best player in Sky Sports' performance rankings, which factor in a wide range of metrics — not just goals.
The competition for the Golden Boot is real: Mbappé and Haaland both have four goals. But Messi has the edge — and the momentum.
The Golmetria model gives Argentina a 19% chance of winning the title, the highest probability of any nation. The market, according to available data, is more sceptical — but it has been wrong before when Messi is involved.
This is the superstar's sixth World Cup. And perhaps the most surreal of them all. The question that lingers: how far will he take Argentina this time?