Deep down, he is still the boy from Rosario, Santa Fe, who just doesn’t want to let go.
Lionel Messi doesn’t want to let go of his career, of time, of the joy.
Here as this incredible story continues to evolve in America, the greatest many of us have ever seen certainly doesn’t want to let go of his World Cup.
We thought we had seen the most perfect tale of all on that incredible night in Qatar three and a half years ago. At the age of 35, Messi finally got his hands on the most cherished trophy of all and it seemed his story was complete.
Yet he we are and here he is, still bending the shape and definition of big football matches by the sheer magnitude of his genius, by the sheer depth of an unquenchable competitor’s spirit that runs through the middle of him like a streak of blue and white steel.
Here beneath the roof of Atlanta’s World Cup stadium, Messi took hold of a game that had seemingly gone from his country’s grasp and simply dragged it back again. An assist and then and equalising goal of such timing, velocity and ferocious beauty to finally break the will and the hearts of an Egypt team that had seemed set to bring us the greatest shock of his incredible World Cup.
Lionel Messi took hold of a game that had seemingly gone from his country’s grasp
The Argentinian star fired home a dramatic equaliser in a superb late turnaround against Egypt
Afterwards, as his team-mates gave their captain, leader and hero a version of the bumps in front of their supporters, it was possible to see the face of Maradona adorning a flag in the background. Suffice to say, he would have approved.
Up in the stands meanwhile another Argentina figurehead, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, was dressed in the home strip he once wore with distinction and wept tears of relief and perhaps disbelief.
For it really had looked as though Argentina were on the way out of this competition.
Their exit would have pleased Thomas Tuchel and England. Argentina are on their side of the draw. Everybody else should rejoice in their continued participation.
Twice now they have competed comeback victories. They trailed to Cape Verde in the last 32 also. But their vulnerability is part of this Argentina’s unique charm. Flawed genius has always been impossible to take one’s eyes off.
Whether Messi can continue, at his age, to keep pulling his team back from the jaws of hell is open to debate. Whether fatigue will play a part as the tournament goes on is worth asking. But he leads the goalscoring charts with eight and the depth of the desire is clear.
Here he even missed a penalty early on. Egypt – sitting deep but rapid on the counter – had taken the lead in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim had outjumped Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez to head in.
Six minutes later, Messi placed a poor spot-kick to Mostafa Shobeir’s left, allowing him to save.
Enzo Fernandez headed home a stoppage-time winner as Argentina reached the last eight
That wasn’t to be the Egyptian goalkeeper’s only intervention. For example, the low stop to repel Julian Alvarez’s volley soon after was one of the saves of the tournament.
Egypt were unambitious in terms of seeking spells of possession but knew exactly what they were doing. Argentina had all of the play and territory but looked desperately vulnerable when forced to turn and retreat and the north Africans looked to have skewered them for real in the second half.
One goal from a lightening break led by the fabulous Haissem Hassan down the right was ruled out after VAR spotted an earlier foul on Martinez. But when Egypt repeated the trick – this time Mo Salah leading the charge through the middle – for Mostafa Zico to score, Egypt had a two-goal lead and only 23 minutes left to navigate.
Argentina looked beaten. They had not created many direct chances in the second half and when they didn’t have the ball they looked leggy and vulnerable.
So they needed a spark, an intervention.
It seems Messi’s advancing years and his time spent playing down a level in America’s MLS have not taken his energy from him. When he has the ball, he looks as potently unpredictable as ever. Mentally, he still plays and sees the game differently to anyone else.
His cross for Cristiano Romero’s headed goal in the 79th minute was enough to change the feeling of the contest. The equaliser that flew in from his left foot, on the other hand, was a picture in anticipation, timing and power.
It was his own far post cross from the right that set everything in motion and, as the ball bounced first from an Argentinean head, an Egyptian shoulder and then the boot of Gonzalo Montiel, Messi had drifted on instinct towards where opportunity may lie to meet it on the half volley and crash it through Shobeir’s hands and in off the underside of the bar.
It was, both in timing, meaning and execution, one of the great World Cup goals and when Argentina broke in added time to win the game through Enzo Fernandez’s header, another Messi chapter had been written in this World Cup story.
It was heartbreaking for Egypt. They had been no Paraguay. They hadn’t attempted to spoil this game. They had tried to win it fairly.
Messi once again stood front and centre as he refuses to let go of the World Cup
Equally, they were wrong to claim foul play in the build up to Argentina’s winning goal.
There was no infringement at the far post as they launched a late attack of their own. Nor was there a trip on Salah as Argentina stole possession in their own penalty area to break upfield.
Briefly it got ugly. Yellow cards were brandished towards the Egypt bench on two occasions. We maybe have not heard the last of that.
But this had been another beautiful, engrossing and quite stunning afternoon of football theatre. Messi once again stood front and centre. The stage – here in Georgia and across the country he now calls home – continues to belong to him.
How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE.
