Scaloni surrenders to Messi at 39: "He's a machine"
Top scorer with 8 goals, Messi followed a special preparation plan for the World Cup — and even Scaloni can't hide his amazement. See what the coach revealed about the Argentine superstar.
He's 39 years old, followed a special preparation programme to get here — and he's the World Cup's joint top scorer alongside Mbappé, with eight goals and one assist. Lionel Messi remains the problem no opponent knows how to solve.
His own coach, Lionel Scaloni, makes no effort to hide his astonishment. According to UOL Esporte, the manager confirmed that Messi worked with his personal fitness coach on a programme tailored specifically for the tournament. "It's true that he did a preparation with his fitness coach. And it paid off," Scaloni said, before adding: "When he gives everything he has and when he senses he can create danger, he's a machine."
What stands out isn't just the goal tally — it's the consistency. Messi has featured in every one of Argentina's matches at the World Cup so far. He left the pitch before the final whistle in only two games: the opener against Algeria, when he came off in the 80th minute after scoring a hat-trick, and against Jordan, when he was rested and came on in the second half — and still found the net. Against Cape Verde, he stayed on the pitch for all 120 minutes, right through to the final whistle of extra time in a 3–2 victory.
Scaloni also pushed back against those expecting a physically diminished Messi. "Leo almost always covers a similar amount of ground in matches. What he is doing is far more productive. I think the team has helped him a great deal," the coach said, according to UOL.
The Golmetria model gives Argentina a 21.5% chance of lifting the trophy — the highest probability of any country in the tournament. The market, however, is more sceptical: the implied odds sit at around 7.5%, well below what the model's numbers suggest.
With Messi at this level, Argentina will go as far as he can carry them. And right now, he shows no sign of stopping.