Lionel Messi once again made world headlines. At almost 39 years old, the Rosario native scored two goals and missed a penalty in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria in Dallas, in the second matchday of Group J of the 2026 World Cup. The national team has already qualified for the round of 32, but the show was put on by the captain.
The Austrian press, which arrived with high expectations, ended up bowing to the number 10. Kronen Zeitung headlined: «The Austrian national team could not stand up to the world champions.» And described: «Before 70,649 fans, the Austrians stood firm but did not create danger. The defending champions could count on their star, Messi.»
Kurier was more direct: «Austria loses to Argentina: Messi makes the difference.» And added: «In the end, it was not enough to spring a surprise. The Austrian team put up a fight, but once again Messi made the difference with his goals.» The same outlet highlighted the fervor in the stands: «Never before had Austria played such a demanding match. Four hours earlier, thousands of fans were heading to the stadium, almost all dressed in blue and white. Everyone wore Messi shirts. The atmosphere was electric.»
Die Presse declared: «Messi’s party: Argentina defeats Austria 2-0.» And concluded: «As expected, Messi was a spectacle. There was practically no one to stop the playmaker. However, he himself was responsible for the score not being more lopsided: he missed a penalty.»
In Oberösterreichische Nachrichten they stated: «Austria demanded everything from the world champion,» but bowed to the number 10: «Once again, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi made the difference.»
The international press also joined in the praise. The Spanish newspaper Marca headlined: «Rub your eyes,» and highlighted that the second goal was «an unconscious tribute to the other ‘Ten’ and ‘god’ of Argentine football, Diego Maradona, whose ‘Goal of the Century’ is exactly 40 years old today.»
Mundo Deportivo wrote: «2-0: Messi is crazy. He illuminated Argentina with that ease Leo has to make himself visible coming out of nowhere, with an aura of a god made man, sometimes disguising himself so we think he is human when he is divine.»
The Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport declared: «Messi is unstoppable. Victory, qualification, record and even an early birthday: Leo Messi is the undisputed light of this solid, compact Argentina, although not especially spectacular, with the exception of the captain.»
Finally, the French L’Equipe chose: «A historic performance by Messi qualifies Argentina.» And noted: «Close to turning 39, Messi has no time to waste. After his initial hat-trick against Algeria, the Flea scored two goals, definitively surpassing Miroslav Klose.»
Argentina will face Jordan on Saturday to close out the group stage, but the focus is already on Messi and his record. The world of football, once again, bows at his feet.
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Para mí, Messi debería volver a Argentina ya, estos europeos no lo merecen. Austria, unos muertos, ni con penal errado pudieron parar al Creador. La prensa mundial, unos vendidos, recién ahora se arrodillan. Messi es argentino, carajo, y la tercera está cerca. ¡Nos vemos en la final!
Para mí Messi es un genio pero mientras la prensa le chupa las medias a él los políticos de mierda nos afanan todo. Esto huele a cortina de humo para que no hablemos del ajuste. ¡Viva la zurda carajo! Firmado: ElCheBoludo