Lionel Messi has already achieved his biggest dream by winning the World Cup, but the Argentina captain once again proved why he is one of football’s greatest players after inspiring his side to a dramatic 2-1 win over England in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Argentina were in trouble after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead. But in the closing minutes, Messi turned the table around with two brilliant assists.
The 39-year-old first set up Enzo Fernandez for the equaliser in the 85th minute before delivering a perfect cross for Lautaro Martinez, who headed home the winner to send Argentina into another World Cup final.
After the match, Messi said the victory meant a lot to both the team and the fans.
“These are special feelings. We knew how much this match meant to the people of Argentina, and we wanted to win it just as much. This has always been a special fixture,” he said.
Although Messi did not score, his two assists were enough to guide Argentina to victory.
He may not have recreated Diego Maradona’s famous performance against England at the 1986 World Cup, but he has already matched one of his biggest achievements by leading Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022.
Argentina’s latest win also kept their perfect record intact in World Cup semi-finals. Messi will now play in his second consecutive World Cup final and the third of his career.
The defending champions are aiming to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title.
Messi, the only player left from Argentina’s 2014 World Cup final team, will also become just the second footballer after Brazil’s Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals.
“It’s crazy to be playing in back-to-back finals,” Messi said.
Argentina have shown great fighting spirit throughout the tournament. They came from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16 and produced another comeback against England after trailing for most of the second half.
“Once again, we found a way to win when things weren’t going our way. We never stopped believing,” Messi said.
The match also marked another milestone for the Argentine captain, who made his record 33rd World Cup appearance across six tournaments.
England captain Harry Kane praised Messi after the match, saying it is almost impossible to keep him quiet for an entire game.
“For most of the match, I thought we handled him well. But players like Messi only need one moment in the final third to make the difference, and that’s exactly what he did. There’s a reason he’s one of the greatest players ever,” Kane said.
Many already consider Messi the greatest player in football history, and that debate could become even stronger if he leads Argentina to another World Cup title against Spain in Sunday’s final.
