The mark of a great player?
Not letting an early blunder affect his or her game.
Exhibit A today is one Lionel Messi, who overcame an embarrassing penalty kick miss to connect twice to power Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Iraq at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday.
Of course, we’re not talking about an ordinary player here.
He can bend steel with his bare feet and make friends, foes, fans, and media shaking their heads in amazement.
There is a reason many soccer observers call him the GOAT.
Messi, who turns 39 on June 24, is playing like someone almost half his age, collecting goal after goal after goal.
Through two games, he has tallied a World Cup-best five times, and in the process snapped former German star Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals. Messi has 17 and counting, with at least two other matches – in Argentina’s final Group J match in Arlington on June 27, and the Round of 32.
“For me, Lionel Messi is the best of all time,” Klose told Süddeutsche Zeitung after the Argentine superstar broke his record. “Congratulations, champ!”
The good, bad and ugly of Messi vs. Austria
Not bad for someone who botched a penalty kick.
That came in the 12th minute when he somehow shanked his left-footed attempt wide right of the net. It was his third penalty kick miss in the World Cup.
“The truth is that it is spectacular how it happened,” Messi said. “Today I had the penalty that I could have increased the score with, but if I had made the penalty, perhaps I wouldn’t have reached the other two either. You never know, but I’m happy with the result, the participation, and the work of the team.”
Messi, who has tallied all five Argentina goals, atoned for the miss, breaking Klose’s record in the 38th minute with a 20-yard shot. He caught Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada let Facundo Medina’s pass go by him and directly to Messi.
Five minutes into stoppage time, Messi put away a rebound save of his own shot, slotting the ball home from the left side of the area, to give the South Americans some breathing room.
Austrian head coach Ralf Rangnick walked away impressed.
“Someone who is 39 years old and can score two goals, and five goals overall at the beginning of the World Cup, well, that makes a difference,” he was quoted by the Associated Press. “We knew that he is on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi showed us today that he’s one of the best, and he is the best.”
Messi leaves his teammates speechless
Messi has not only wowed opponents, but he has also left his teammates mesmerized.
“There are no words to describe what he does,” midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said on the FIFA website. “Obviously, he’s small, but whenever you watch him, it’s a dream. And today, being able to experience it first-hand, I’m really enjoying it.
“The other day, I heard my dad say that it’s one thing to watch him from the stands, and another to watch him on TV. And I’d say it’s something else entirely to watch him out on the field, right there with the rest of them. The things he does are simply incredible. The way he reacts at the last moment to whatever’s happening. So, anyway, I’m just happy that he’s able to enjoy himself and score goals.”
Added forward Julian Alvarez: “I don’t even know what to say. It’s impressive. Honestly, there aren’t many more words to add. We see it every day, so many years showing off his magic, his talent. He’s the greatest of all time and we just try to enjoy him every time.”
Messi is a changed player from his prime. He knows that he can’t beat players 1 v 1 on a consistent basis as he did in the past. He once had a signature move in which he would catch an opponent on the wrong foot and then speed away.
Instead, he has adapted, using his ridiculously high soccer IQ to be in the right place at the right time to put the ball into the back of the net for Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer. He lets his teammates join in on the action.
Again, the mark of a great player.
And that’s not to forget how he can target teammates with passes, short, medium, or long.
Mbappe is right behind Messi
Regardless of what transpires, this will be Messi’s sixth and final World Cup.
As marvelous as he has been, Messi might not wind up as the all-time goal-scoring leader, because a much younger star is keeping pace with him. That would be French striker Kylian Mbappe, who has 16 after the 27-year-old forward scored twice in a 3-0 triumph over Iraq in Philadelphia later on Monday. That match was delayed by a thunderstorm for more than two hours.
While Argentina and France likely won’t meet until the knockout rounds, they have won the last two World Cups, the French in 2018, the Argentines in 2022.
The Messi-Mbappe goal-scoring battle has emerged as the intriguing subplot of this World Cup.
And the fun has just begun.
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.
