Messi has already started the record-breaking semifinal and not just in World Cup games, tied with Lothar Matthäus. He has won 16 of his 25 appearances, two more than the German, who won the 1990 world in a final against Maradona. No one has won more World Cup games than Messi, and it’s impressive to see him, on the sidelines, with blood in his eyes.
He’s like this.
Seems willing to be champion at all costs. It is he who governs his team and his fans in coordinated movements, sometimes behind the midfielders, sometimes dragging defenders and giving decisive passes, like the third goal, scored by Julián Álvarez.
At the beginning, Croatia was better, exchanging passes, at the pace of Brozovic, Modric and Kovacic, their midfielder. The narrow space between the defenders Lovren and Gvardiol and the first midfielder, Brozovic, took away from Messi the naturalness with which he plays between the defense lines and midfielders.
Until, in the 21st minute, he received it in the central circle, and his first dribble gave the password to the team’s confidence. Three minutes later, Enzo Fernández connected with the first shot, which was cleared by Livakovic.
It wasn’t an easy match, unlike what it might look like when you see the final result. Fernández found an accurate pass for Julián Álvarez to concede a penalty.
That’s how Messi scored his 11th goal in World Cups, one less than Pelé, one more than Batistuta. Five minutes later, the greatest Argentine scorer in World Cups started the play of the great goal scored by Julián Álvarez.
By this time, the stadium was already filled with the singing of the Argentine fans, who came to Doha from all corners of their country. Tandil, Cordoba, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Buenos Aires. You hear all these names in subway cars packed with hynchas.
“Muchachos, now that we are back to illusion, I want to win the third, I want to be world champion / And Diego. From the sky we can see it. With Don Diego and Tota, encouraging Lionel.”
Tota was Dona Dalma, Maradona’s mother who, according to the lyrics of the song, is with her son encouraging Lionel Messi. Now that they dream again, they want to be world champions.
Only Argentina and Morocco have real supporters in Qatar. The Arabs support the Moroccans and some carry Palestinian flags to the stadiums. There was at least one, behind the goal that Messi and Julián Álvarez scored in the first half.
More than his 11th goal in Cups, Messi gifted Julián Álvarez with his seventh decisive pass, third in Qatar. It means that the best player of the 21st century left the Lusail stadium as the record holder for games and victories in Cups, as top scorer and leader in assists in this World Cup.
It is really impressive that Messi makes his best participation in World Cups in a country that reveres Allah by bending the torso towards the ground.
Fans in Qatar have been making this same move, but to say Meeeeeessi, Meeeeeeesi, Meeeeeeesi!
It won’t be easy for Mbappé and France to be better.
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