Messi leads Argentina to third World Cup final with masterclass

Four years ago, Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup at age 35, cementing his legacy as one of football's greatest. Now at 39, he has led Argentina to their second consecutive World Cup final after a 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semi-final.

Messi's decisive performance

Messi provided two assists in the match, taking his tournament tally to four assists and eight goals. He is the joint top scorer and second-highest assister at the 2026 World Cup. His performance included nine dribbles completed, seven touches in the opposition box, four chances created, and nine crosses—all game-highs. He became the first player on record (since 1966) to assist two goals and complete nine dribbles in a single World Cup knockout game.

Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's final in New Jersey. Spain is the country where Messi spent most of his club career with Barcelona.

How the match unfolded

England took the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon. After the goal, England manager Thomas Tuchel brought on additional defenders, and Argentina dominated possession with 88% over the next 37 minutes. Messi, who had played centrally in the first half, moved to the right wing and became increasingly influential.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez noted: "Getting Messi on the wing was the key for us."

Messi's first assist came from a corner in the 85th minute, finding Enzo Fernandez, who scored from outside the box. In injury time, Messi crossed for Lautaro Martinez to head in the winner.

Reactions from pundits and players

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said: "He's the best player in history, I don't know what else he would have to do to prove that. The majority of Spaniards love him."

BBC pundit Micah Richards commented: "They have Lionel Messi. They have the 'GOAT'. The greatest of all time. [It's about] moments. We thought it could have been Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane, but this is why he is the king."

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart added: "The guys went back to what they did against Mexico and Norway where they locked the door. What that did was free up Lionel Messi, who had the skeleton key—he absolutely ran the show for the last 15 minutes."

England captain Harry Kane said: "For large parts of the game we dealt with him really well, but as always with the most dangerous players in the world when they have the ball they can create something. He's one of the best players ever for a reason."

Messi's World Cup legacy

This summer, Messi became the all-time top scorer at World Cups with 21 goals (out of 125 for Argentina). Fifteen of those 21 have come since his 35th birthday. He has scored eight goals at this tournament, surpassing his seven in 2022. He is level with Kylian Mbappe on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot.

Argentina also face a potential fine for a banner displayed during the semi-final win, referencing the Falklands dispute.