ARLINGTON, Texas — In a thrilling match, Lionel Messi made a strong impact after coming off the bench in the 60th minute of Argentina‘s World Cup group stage finale against Jordan, scoring a free kick goal that solidified a 3-1 victory for the reigning champions, who had already secured first place in their group.
This goal marked Messi’s 19th in World Cup history, extending his record as the all-time leading scorer among men. At 39 years old, he also set a new tournament record by scoring in his seventh consecutive World Cup match, surpassing the achievements of former stars Just Fontaine and Jairzinho.
With this performance, Messi reached his 72nd career free kick goal and his 12th as an Argentine. His international tally now stands at 123 goals, making him second only to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 145, across 202 matches.
Initially resting, Messi watched as teammates Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martínez netted goals in the first half against a Jordanian team already eliminated from knockout contention.
Lo Celso expressed his happiness for Messi’s performance, sharing, “I am very happy for him and the moment he is having. Watching him every day is inspiring, and it’s important for us to see him performing like that.”
The atmosphere at AT&T Stadium electrified as fans began chanting Messi’s name when the second half commenced, erupting with applause upon his entrance to the pitch just days after his 39th birthday.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had planned for Messi to start on the bench, strategizing to bring him on when needed. When he entered the match, he replaced Martínez.
“I had a conversation with Leo [Messi], and we agreed that bringing him on in the second half was the best choice today. It highlights his importance to the group,” Scaloni remarked. “Having watched 55 minutes of the game, he understood the flow of play. There are moments when I can guide him, but he doesn’t require much instruction.”
Earlier in the tournament, Messi surpassed the 16 goals in World Cup history that he shared with Germany’s Miroslav Klose after netting a brace against Austria. Now in his sixth World Cup, he stands alone at the top, well beyond Klose, whose last World Cup goal was scored against Argentina in the 2014 final.
Kylian Mbappé also enjoyed success, netting his 16th World Cup goal in a brace during France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq a few hours after Messi’s record-setting performance. Mbappé trails Messi with four goals in the tournament but did not find the net in France‘s 4-1 win against Norway during their final group match.
“What you see from Messi is what I see as well,” Scaloni added. “It’s becoming a bit tricky whenever people ask about him because I’m running out of things to say.”
Having topped Group J, Argentina is set to face their next challenge against first-time World Cup qualifiers Cape Verde in the round of 32.
With contributions from The Associated Press.