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I'm curious to see what england will do today if they take the lead against france

Four years ago it felt as if Lionel Messi's story was told.
He had finally won the World Cup, aged 35, in what he said was his last game in the tournament and - depending on your point of view - cemented his place as football's greatest ever player.

Four years before that, aged 31, many - including those around him - felt he had played his final World Cup game and would end his career without winning it.
And here he is at 39, having helped take England to the cleaners and send Argentina to their second World Cup final in a row.

Messi's two assists helped the South American side come from behind to win 2-1, taking him up to four assists at the 2026 World Cup - to go with his eight goals.
The joint top scorer and the second highest assister in the whole show.

Argentina will play Spain, the country where Messi has played most of his football with Barcelona, in Sunday's final; in New Jersey.

"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", said his national team boss Lionel Scaloni.

BBC pundit Micah Richards said: "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 Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward Messi had never played England in his career before - and Thomas Tuchel and every Three Lions fan will wish that was still the case.

The veteran showed a few quality touches in an attritional first half - playing more centrally - but it was after Anthony Gordon gave England a 55th-minute lead that Argentina came to life.

As Tuchel sent on more defenders and England sat back, Argentina had 88% possession for the following 37 minutes.

And Messi had a field day after moving out to the right wing.

"Getting Messi on the wing was the key for us", said goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez afterwards.

He completed nine dribbles and assisted two goals against England - the first player on record (from 1966 onwards) to do so in a single World Cup knockout game.
The entire England team combined completed seven successful dribbles in Atlanta.

Messi had seven touches in the opposition box - the same as every English player added together. The same for his four chances created.

He also put in a game-high nine crosses.
And by far the most important, he set up both of Argentina's goals.

The first was from a corner routine when he found Enzo Fernandez, who slammed in an 85th-minute equaliser from outside the box.

And then he crossed for Lautaro Martinez to head in an injury-time winner.

Ex-England defender Richards said: "He walks around the pitch and then he comes alive when the ball comes to his feet; This genius comes into play and sometimes that is just the difference."

Former England keeper 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 Kane added: "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."

This summer Messi became the all-time top scorer at World Cups with 21 goals (out of his 125 Argentina goals in total).
Fifteen of those 21 have come since his 35th birthday.

Eight have been at this tournament, passing the seven he scored in 2022 - which was just one short of Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.
This time Messi and Mbappe are level on eight goals. Mbappe's France play England on Saturday in the third-place play-off.

England's Bellingham and Kane are on six goals each and not out of the picture.
If players finish level on goals, the tie-breaker is assists - with Messi on four to Mbappe's three.

Messi could yet finish as the top assister at this summer's World Cup too - sitting one goal behind France's Michael Olise.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking to the BBC, said: "He's a little magician, he really is.
He's done it all tournament now. You look at the goals scored and the balls he's put into England's box."

It is easy to forget Messi, then at Barcelona and aged 29, actually retired from international football in 2016.

He had lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and three Copa America finals.

Since reversing that decision he has won the Copa America twice.

When Messi - then of PSG - lifted the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, it felt as if the final piece of the jigsaw of his career was complete.

Many considered that the final thing missing from the argument over the best player ever - with many considering fellow World Cup winners Pele and Diego Maradona the greatest.

"I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying," he said before the 2022 final.

"There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don't think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant."

And when he left Europe the next year to join Inter Miami in the MLS, it seemed like he was going to wind down.

Even during last year's Fifa Club World Cup, which he played in, it was far from clear if he would be involved this summer.

But here he is, still seemingly unstoppable - even though his game has changed.
Before the England tie, he had walked 47% of the distance he covered in this tournament, the highest percentage of any outfield player.

Tactically he has reinvented himself at least five times, says Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote a biography on Messi.

Messi has now scored or assisted in 13 consecutive matches for Inter Miami and Argentina.
If he gets involved in a goal in Sunday's final against Spain, it will equal his record set in 2011 of 14 in a row.

He will also become only the second player after Cafu to play in three World Cup finals.

Surely that will be his final World Cup game? After all, he turns 43 in 2030.

But maybe at this stage we need to stop presuming anything when it comes to the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Source
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c8jnl9zdzn2o

gracias124:
any black man supporting Argentina doesn't have self respect

the irony is that, if a white man makes such statements that whites shouldn't support a team full of blacks, people like you will be the first to scream racism.

Fifa must have told england to park the bus after scoring, cos argentina can't win without fifa's help. Well, according to penaldogs reasoning.

Seems fifa have completely banned that arsenal tactics of harassing goalkeepers during set pieces.

Two teams that match each other. It could go either way. But england really need this world cup, no trophy since 1966.

20 naira can buy one maggi cube

lymelyte:
Na over confidence Naim worry France coming into this game. The thing backfire for them

so spain won because france were overconfident, not because spain were better than france?

You guys will just be looking for excuse to console yourselves. Always give credit to whom credit is due.

Spain is better than france, that's the reason they won.

Who says mbappe is on their level?

Messi>ronaldo>mbappe

Ronaldo fans under rating spain. If football na by mouth, ronaldo for don win world cup.

It's merino time

Is this a training session for spain or what...

Is anybody still doubting spain?

peleson1:
I'm one of them oo

They will play rubbish and once them see France, their prickkk go dey rise up

I laughed when I see people under rating spain, a team that have conceded only one goal. They will use possession to suffocate their opponents into surrender. It's half time now, and france with all their stars have no shot on target.

Nefort:
Because they scored a free goal?

what did france play? HT no shot on target.

Where are all those people underating spain?

Lol... the clown talking to himself as usual.

mandybabe:
If you have good financial inflow, you're likely to enjoy marriage but on the other side

Without money, marriage is like a prison where you can hardly find happiness

if you have money, your wife will still cheat on you. She will claim you don't have time for her, or you suck in bedmatics.

davidtemi:
Shape 2 is the only large red square with a black border (setting the standard baseline).
Shape 3 is the only shape without a black border.
Shape 4 is the only green shape.
Shape 5 is the only circle.

Shapes 2, 3, 4, and 5 all have a special, single feature that makes them stand out.

Shape 1 shares features with all of them (it is red, it is a square, it has a black border) but lacks any single rule-breaking trait of its own. Being completely "ordinary" makes it the true odd one out.

doesn't the size of shape 1 look different from the others?

IamAsiri:
But you didn't ask "which figure"; you asked which shape. And there are just two different shapes there: square and circle.

the shape in the question means object, which i also called figure for clarity. It is the English that is confusing you.

According to penaldogs, fifa told embolo to dive

The best england can achieve is going deep in the tournament, but won't win the world cup. They will lose to the first top team they meet as usual.

Mariangeles:
Oya, tell us.

All these questions that don't have definite answers. 🙄

I've posted the answer, check the comments

symbianDON:
The 2nd square is the odd one out because every other object has something odd about them except that particular object. This makes it odd amongst all others.

correct, you nailed it

GJames:
They all odd in different ways
* The first one is smaller than the rest
* The middle one does not have an outline
* The fourth one is green
* The last one is circular

In my own view, the second will be the odd one, since it can't be singled out

exactly

Ifelove1:
The second red square with a border.

It is the only "normal" one there. Every other has a "defect".

correct

Emario48:
No 2 is the Odd one... Since it is the most perfect of them all

kudos, you got it. No 2 is the only figure that doesn't have any odd feature. That makes it the odd one out.

QuinQQ:
France will easily beat Spain

easier said than done

I was looking forward to france vs spain. Good thing belgium didn't throw spanner in the works there.

Oya penaldogs come blame africa for your pains

How can a public figure make these kind of statement? Her village people don reason her matter.

He might still come back at age 45 to embarass himself again.
Stubborn goat