ATLANTA (AP) — Lionel Messi's move to America will look like a masterstroke if he leads Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles.
His decision to join Inter Miami in 2023 has already been good for all parties, raising the profile of soccer in the United States, delivering titles for his club and writing a new chapter in his storied career.
But Argentina could be the biggest winner of all, with Messi arriving at what might be his last World Cup with his powers
still at stratospheric levels aged 38.
“Leo will be the best for as long as he wants; he has been doing it every single match for the last 20 years,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
Thierry Henry described him as “on the moon” after his hat trick in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria.
“Leo is just different. It’s just a different topic,” Henry told Fox Sports.
Messi scored his first hat trick at a World Cup and also moved level on 16 goals with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in tournament history.
“I tried to prepare myself in the best possible way to feel good physically, to feel useful, and to be able to help the group,” Messi said.
That's an understatement.
Despite saying the last World Cup was likely his last, Messi is once again at the heart of the Argentina team, its biggest creative and attacking threat. At this stage of his career, that was far from guaranteed.
“We should be used to this, but if you ever needed any more confirmation that when it comes to Argentina, Messi is the system, he is the tactic, he’s the formation, he’s the identity and he is the heart,” Fox analyst Alexi Lalas said after the 3-0 win against Algeria. “It was something to behold.”
Messi left behind the intensity of European soccer to join Inter Miami in 2023, delivering a massive boost for Major League Soccer.
He said he wanted to “live football in another way" and while that included changes to his home life in the U.S., there was also a step down in the level of competition compared to Europe's top leagues.
But at a time when top players are warning of burnout because of soccer's increasingly congested calendar, Messi appears to be benefiting from making the move. He has played fewer games in the U.S. than at the height of his Barcelona career when he could play in excess of 50 a season. His performance at the start of this World Cup shows he hasn't lost his sharpness even if he is not regularly facing the world’s top defenders in MLS.
“I love to play, to compete. And no matter where it is, today I find myself at another World Cup, which brings extra happiness, but I prepare myself just as I have done throughout my entire career,” he said.
Many people already rated the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner as the greatest soccer player of all time. But even past his peak years, he has hit new heights on the sport's biggest stage.
His long-awaited World Cup triumph in 2022 came after his move away from Barcelona, where he was winning Champions League titles and setting scoring records, but repeatedly fell short with Argentina in international tournaments.
He was at Paris Saint-Germain when, as a 35-year-old and playing in his fifth World Cup, he finally managed to win the one trophy that had eluded him. Again, Argentina may have been the beneficiary of its icon taking a step down at club level.
While PSG hoped Messi's arrival could deliver the Champions League, the domestic competition in France is not regarded as highly as Spain's. Messi no longer faced such intense soccer on a weekly basis.
He went on to produce his finest form at a World Cup in 2022, scoring seven goals, including two in the final as Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout. He managed just one goal at the previous edition in Russia.
He is back again four years later and looks like he is in the mood for more.
His Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul has spoken of the extra training both players had put in to ensure they were in peak condition for the tournament.
“We killed ourselves to, physically, arrive in the best way,” De Paul said.
Messi, meanwhile, has taken inspiration from Rafa Nadal after watching the Netflix docuseries on the tennis great's drive to stay at the top of his game.
“I am very similar in that sense. I always want to feel good. As long as I can and I am well, I will be there,” Messi said.
For his teammates, he is simply the biggest inspiration.
“What Leo transmits is spectacular, it is hard to explain,” said Scaloni. “His teammates view him both as a God and as a kid from the neighborhood.
“Honestly, you just run out of words. Beyond the goals he scores, it is what he transmits—both to his teammates and to the fans. We will miss him.”
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AP sports writer Debora Rey contributed to this report from Dallas.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
