Though his benched contemporary Cristiano Ronaldo exited in the quarters in tears, recognizing that his last Cup chance had likely passed, Lionel Messi is summoning some of his finest moments in an Argentina shirt to inspire his country's run to the final.
Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, and Julián Álvarez celebrate their side's second goal during the match between Argentina and Australia on Saturday.final, the stakes could hardly be higher.
While 37-year-old Ronaldo exited the tournament at the quarterfinals stage, benched by Portugal and in tears in the likely recognition that his last chance had passed, Messi is summoning some of his finest moments in an Argentina shirt to inspire his country's run to the final. At the age of 35, he knew this was probably his last shot at the World Cup and he has risen to the occasion as the tournament's co-leading scorer with France forward Kylian Mbappé with five goals.
“It’s at least something I can talk with my kids one day that I guarded this great, great player,” Gvardiol said Thursday. He isn't as dynamic as he was in his younger years, but he has been more influential than at any of his previous four World Cups.
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