The Unstoppable Force
As Argentina's World Cup title defense teetered on the brink of collapse, Lionel Messi once again proved why he's the greatest soccer player of all time. With his team trailing 2-0, Messi scored and assisted goals in a four-minute span, setting the stage for Enzo Fernández's 90th-minute match-winner.
A Familiar Storyline
For those who have witnessed Messi's brilliance firsthand, like Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović, his late-game heroics are nothing new. 'He reminded us that he’s human,' Henry said. 'And then he reminds us again that he’s not human … What happened with Leo, is that sometimes — do not wake up the beast.'
When the odds are stacked against Messi, he turns them on their head. On Tuesday, as Argentina fell behind, Messi was denied from the penalty spot for the second straight time. But he kept pushing, and came through when Argentina needed him most. In the 79th minute, he lofted in a cross that found Cristian Romero's head, who knocked it past Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Then in the 83rd minute, a bouncing ball in the box fell to Messi's feet, because of course, and he smashed it. Shobeir got a touch on the shot attempt, sending the ball off the bar and into the back of the net.
Ibrahimović noted the change in Messi's demeanor as the match wore on. 'You could see he wanted it when it was 0-2, something changed,' Ibrahimović said. 'He took command, he took the ball. He was after something, you could see it. He was on a mission. He will not let go. He did not want to leave this tournament.'
The Ageless Wonder
At 39 years old, Messi has played every minute of Argentina's two 2026 World Cup knockout round games, including an extra-time thriller against Cape Verde on Friday, and Tuesday's 3-2 comeback against Egypt. That's a total of 210 minutes plus injury time over the last five days. And Messi delivered his best deeper into each match. 'When they still need him, he raises his game,' Henry said.
Henry struggled to put into words the magnitude of Messi's performance. 'He's just unstoppable,' Henry said. 'This is Hollywood stuff. It’s almost like when you script that, it’s a movie that will never happen in real life… This guy writes history with his feet. It’s unreal.'
