Chicago – June 17, 2026
Before the tournament, much of the spotlight was on Lionel Messi. After finally lifting the World Cup in Qatar, he could have walked away from international football with nothing left to prove. Instead, the Argentine legend chose to return for one final World Cup campaign, while also helping raise soccer’s profile in the United States through his time with Inter Miami. At 38, Messi is no longer the explosive player who dominated world football for nearly two decades, but his intelligence, vision, and technical brilliance remain unmatched.
Despite concerns over a minor hamstring issue before Argentina’s opening match, coach Lionel Scaloni reassured fans that his captain was fit and remained indispensable to the team. Scaloni noted that not only Argentinians but football fans around the world wanted to see Messi on the game’s biggest stage once again.
Any doubts about Messi’s ability to influence this World Cup were quickly answered. In Argentina’s opening 3-0 victory over Algeria, he produced a stunning hat-trick, becoming the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick and equaling Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament scoring record with 16 goals. At 38, Messi looked far from finished, dictating play and reminding the world why he is still one of football’s defining figures. If this is indeed his final World Cup, he has already made a memorable start.
