It’s happening again. Lionel Messi is rewriting World Cup history in what is almost certainly his final tournament, and somehow he’s doing it faster than anyone expected.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner already owns the all-time World Cup scoring record outright after bagging a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. That’s five goals in two games for a 39-year-old who spent much of the buildup dealing with a hamstring issue. Not bad for a guy who’s been playing professional soccer longer than some of his teammates have been alive.
But here’s the thing: Messi won’t start Saturday against Jordan in Dallas. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed at Friday’s press conference that his captain will begin on the bench for the final Group J match.
The reasoning is simple enough
Argentina already locked up first place in the group. FIFA’s tiebreaker rules (head-to-head, not goal difference) mean the defending champions cannot drop out of the top spot regardless of what happens against Jordan. So Scaloni is doing the smart thing: rest your 39-year-old superstar before the knockout rounds.
“Leo will most likely come on in the second half,” Scaloni said. “We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it’s also good for him to stay in competitive form.”
Fans who paid for tickets in Dallas might not love hearing that. But Scaloni’s job isn’t to sell seats. It’s to win a second straight World Cup.
What comes next
Argentina will face Cape Verde in the round of 32 next Friday in Miami. That’s a favorable matchup on paper — the debutants only advanced after a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia that knocked out Uruguay. But tournament history is littered with favorites who got careless in group play and paid for it.
Messi currently leads the Golden Boot race with five goals, one ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland. A World Cup Golden Boot would be the one major individual award that’s eluded him, and he’s clearly in the hunt.
Scaloni isn’t just resting Messi either. Enzo Fernandez, Lisandro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister are all expected to rotate out. Tottenham captain Cristian Romero won’t play at all — he picked up a knee issue against Austria. That opens the door for Nico Paz, Giuliano Simeone and Giovani Lo Celso to get minutes.
Julian Alvarez will likely lead the line with Messi on the bench. The Manchester City striker has earned the trust of the coaching staff and should get a full run against a Jordan side that’s already eliminated after losing to Austria and Algeria.
Messi has 18 World Cup goals now. He passed Miroslav Klose’s old record of 16 in the Austria game and didn’t stop there. Every time he touches the ball at this tournament, history feels possible.
Argentina just needs him fresh for when it actually matters.
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