The sign held by an elderly woman in the stands of Dallas Stadium read «100 year old Messi fan.» It’s impossible to know if that gray-haired woman, standing and holding the sign firmly, was really a hundred years old. That’s beside the point. Incredibly, after the 2-0 victory over Austria, his five goals in two matches, becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cups, and qualification secured, many were asking whether we can really be sure this will be Leo Messi’s last World Cup.
Master of time. And not just of match time. Now also of World Cup time. If, forty years after the Hand of God, a new meaning had to be found for June 22, the eternal star, who will turn 39 on Wednesday, continues to rewrite history. Surely some future star will break his goal-scoring record in the Cups. In fact, Kylian Mbappé is close behind and is 27 years old. That doesn’t matter either. It’s like the comparison made for decades with that other goal-scoring monster, Cristiano Ronaldo. Leo is much more than a goal scorer.
He can be a 10, 7, 5, 9, double 9. Whatever he wants. The wisdom of time enhances his cunning about where to play. When to accelerate. When to start a final play in extra time, cross the ball masterfully to the left to Julián Alvarez, and then be there himself to finish with a low strike from the ground, as if he were a twenty-year-old, facing young Austrians who at that point were perhaps wondering which of them could get the star’s shirt.
From the press area, with a giant screen that visually covers almost three-quarters of the field (49 meters long, 22 meters high, 544 tons, and 40 million dollars), Messi was seen moving from omnipresence to absence. At times, the entire screen was his. The pitch even more so. But for long minutes it was hard to spot him. The screen showed those who only wanted to be seen in the scene to dance, make faces, whatever. The nonsense of the cooling break. And Messi hidden.
Just the execution of a corner kick at 72′ (the first and only one for Argentina in the entire match) that almost resulted in a goal by Nico González, who anticipated everyone. We looked for Messi on the field and saw him standing, as so many other times. The most dangerous standing man in the world. He spent a good part of the second half like that. And, let’s be honest, we all sensed that he was simply plotting how his final appearance would be. Austria had taken control of the ball but didn’t hurt. It was a matter of waiting for him. And he didn’t disappoint: his fifth goal filled the day with happiness, a day that had not started well.
Because at the 9th minute he missed a penalty that Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager would have saved anyway. Leo feinted so much that it wasn’t a feint. And from then on he seemed a bit slower than in the debut against Algeria. More annoyed because the marking was tougher. And also more imprecise. The crowd (still singing as I write, still in the stands, security no longer knows what to do, they now sing «he who doesn’t jump is an Englishman» and the confusion grows). The crowd, I was saying, sang to him for the second time «that hand in hand with Leo Messi.» Never abandon him.
It was hard for him to get going. Luckily, the goal came at 38′ after a good initial drive and an even better final feint by Thiago Almada. And Messi regained his composure (if he had ever lost it), while the screen showed the great Manu Ginóbili and the crowd erupted in an ovation (later it showed Shakira, it could have shown a resurrected Jesus Christ and the crowd would have kept looking at Leo). All within an uneven team performance. It’s true that Dibu Martínez had almost no scares, but the national team was more imprecise today, lacked rhythm, and the two nines still failed to shine, neither Lautaro Martínez first nor Julián Alvarez later. If before the defensive pillar was Cuti Romero (who left injured), today it is Lisandro Martínez, perhaps the best after Messi.
It will be hard to break this team. Because it shows solidity despite giving eternal advantages on the right flank. Because it has character (Austria suffered it today). Because it still has clear room for improvement. And because Messi is there. I finish my report and the crowd is still in the stands chanting his name. Now they shout «he moves this way, he moves that way, this is the craziest band there is.» Security still doesn’t know what to do. They begin to sense that Messi guides their movements. And that all resistance will be useless.
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para mi messi es un capo pero este mundial lo gana o me mato los zurdos lloran xq fallo un penal pero el fideo es el amo del tiempo austria unos muertos los durmio y los liquido este es su ultimo baile y argentina va a ser campeon de vuelta viva la patria carajo
Para mí esto huele a que Messi es el amo del tiempo, pero no me vengan con que este es su último Mundial mientras haya hambre de gloria y humillación para los giles del norte. El penal errado fue un acto revolucionario, para que no se olviden que hasta los dioses se equivocan. ¡Viva Messi, carajo!