Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterWhen it comes to the sheer quantity of individual attacking talents, this World Cup is hard to touch.Certainly, it is the most weve had for quite some time. Having Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise all at the same time is an absolute embarrassment of riches, and thats just the headline names.But even through all that, the top scorer, and the player who is most single-handedly pushing his team to victory, is still Lionel Messi, the Argentinian legend who turns 39 on Wednesday.Play our FREE match predictor and win �1kLionel Messi's GOAT credentials can wait for another dayFootball discourse has grown tediously, fatuously obsessed with ranking everything in the internet age. What was once the preserve of spirited but ultimately empty pub debate has become the dominant mode of talking about the game. You only need to consider how the Ballon dOr has been elevated from a minor Teletext headline to all-year-round Very Serious Business to understand how the culture has changed.But even those of us who are resistant to that way of thinking would be given pause by what Messi has accomplished, and the possibility of what he might yet go on to do this summer. You may like Mbappe World Cup goals: How many does the Frenchman need to overtake Lionel Messi? Which records will Lionel Messi break at World Cup 2026? Lionel Messi makes World Cup history in sensational one-man display Diego Maradona was permanently installed as one of the greatest of all time when he inspired a functional but otherwise largely undistinguished Argentina side to their 1986 World Cup triumph.Messi could yet go on to do it twice in a row, at a time of his life when most players have already graduated into the pundits chair, coaching careers, or occasional appearances at overwrought major tournament draws.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.There has been even more of a sense of inevitability than usual about Messi so far this summer. Of course he got a hat-trick in the opening game. Of course he broke Miroslav Kloses record in the second game with a brace against Austria. Of course those goals have put him in pole position for the Golden Boot.For all the feints, stepovers and turns he has successfully executed in his career, the greatest trick Messi has ever pulled off is convincing us all that this is all just to be expected.Comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo have long since ceased to even be a debate. Thats no knock on the Portuguese, who is two-and-a-half years older at a point in their careers where that makes an enormous difference. What to read next With Lionel Messi, Argentina will be a major contender again for this World Cup. He knows better than anyone what the team needs Javier Zanetti assesses Argentinas chances this summer How to watch Lionel Messi at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Lionel Messi broke two more World Records vs Austria tonight But its also a total irrelevance at this point. To define Messi purely in comparison to his greatest rival has always been reductive to them both, but especially now. Why enter into a side-argument when the greater pleasure is simply in marvelling that Messi remains so brilliant, so relevant, and such a joy to watch?Messi is already the player our grandchildren will talk about the same way that our parents and grandparents talk about Pele. We have decades ahead of us for nostalgia, rankings, ratings, and pointlessly trying to settle where, precisely, he stands on the podium alongside the very best players football has ever seen.But we may only have the next few weeks, at best, to regard Messi in the present tense; certainly on this kind of stage.Luxuriate in it while you can.TOPICSLionel MessiArgentinaWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Steven ChickenSocial Links NavigationSteven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication,WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
