DALLAS, U.S. (AFP) — World football’s biggest living icon Lionel Messi is set to bring his once-in-a-generation career to the AT&T Stadium in Dallas this Monday, as defending World Cup champions Argentina prepare to lock horns with Austria in their second Group L fixture — and with the 38-year-old just one strike away from rewriting the sport’s global record books.
Just three days ahead of his 39th birthday, Messi delivered a masterclass to Argentina’s opening group game against Algeria, bagging a clinical hat-trick in a commanding 3-0 win that dragged him level with Miroslav Klose’s long-standing all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals. The moment carried extra emotional weight: Messi broke down in tears immediately after netting his first goal of the match, and it was later revealed that his father is currently recovering from an undisclosed health issue that has been weighing on the superstar’s mind.
The Inter Miami forward had left lingering questions over his participation in the North America-hosted tournament right up until the final weeks before kickoff, but few fans or pundits ever truly believed he would miss the chance to lead Argentina in a bid to make history of another kind: becoming the first national side to defend the World Cup trophy since Brazil’s legendary 1962 squad. After dragging his country to long-awaited World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago, the allure of stepping onto the biggest stage in football one more time to represent his nation proved impossible for Messi to walk away from.
Monday’s clash will be held at AT&T Stadium, the shimmering, air-conditioned home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, a venue widely viewed as the ideal stage for Messi to surpass Klose’s 16-goal benchmark. Ever modest about his historic achievements, Messi downplayed the significance of the record ahead of the game, telling reporters: “In the end, it’s just a statistic and nothing more.”
A win against Austria would put Lionel Scaloni’s side on the brink of qualifying for the round of 16 as Group L winners with one final group fixture still to play, a result that would give Messi valuable extra time to rest and recuperate ahead of the knockout stage. But Austria, led by highly respected manager Ralf Rangnick, will not be rolling out the red carpet for Messi’s record moment: they are also closing in on knockout stage qualification after picking up a solid 3-1 win over tournament debutants Jordan in their opening game.
For long-time observers of Messi’s Argentina career, his current standing as the undisputed heart of the national side marks a stark shift from decades past. For years after his international debut, some Argentine fans questioned whether he brought the same match-winning brilliance to the national side that he displayed across 15 glittering seasons at Barcelona. Today, even as he approaches 39, Messi’s mere presence lifts his teammates both on and off the pitch, and the entire squad has built their system around the living legend.
Following the win over Algeria, Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister made clear the captain’s irreplaceable role in the squad: “If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all.” While Messi no longer possesses the blistering pace that defined his peak playing days, and now rotates his minutes to conserve energy for key moments, his teammates have fully embraced taking on the gritty defensive and running work to free Messi up to produce his magic when it matters most.
Scaloni, who was Messi’s teammate at the 2006 World Cup — the superstar’s first major international tournament — has deliberately constructed a team environment that lets Messi thrive. “He’s playing with a group of friends, with people that are going to play with their heart for him,” the Argentina manager said. “Whenever they need to have a conversation with him they can just approach him, and it’s really hard to explain whatever he conveys. I could stay here with you for over an hour trying to explain exactly what he does, but you need to be there to really understand. You need to understand the atmosphere, the ambience.”
The cohesion between Messi and his Argentina side stands in stark contrast to the tension surrounding another aging legend at this tournament: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has become a disruptive headache for manager Roberto Martinez. By comparison, every member of Argentina’s squad has repeatedly emphasized their commitment to doing whatever it takes to let Messi tear through opposition defenses.
Forward Julian Alvarez, who has played alongside Messi at both the international level and Manchester City, told DAZN: “He’s been my idol since I was a kid. Naturally, you want to repay that.” Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul put it even more bluntly: “He makes you want to go to war if he asks you to.”