The guy is 39 years old. And he’s still rewriting the World Cup record book in real time.
Lionel Messi added another absurd milestone to his collection during Argentina’s quarterfinal against Switzerland on Sunday. It wasn’t a goal this time. It was a corner kick. A perfectly placed one that Alexis Mac Allister headed home in the 10th minute to put Argentina up 1-0.
That assist was Messi’s 10th across five World Cups. No other player in the history of the tournament has ever hit double-digit assists. Not Pele. Not Maradona. Not anyone.
It’s just the latest thing Messi does that makes you wonder if the man is actually human. Since the start of this World Cup, he’s put up eight goals and two assists. That’s 10 goal contributions in a single tournament. At 39. You don’t have to be an Argentina fan to be impressed by that.
One record that might never get touched
The assists thing is wild because it’s not like there’s a long list of guys with nine. Messi is the first to get to 10. Period. He’s also the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, so he’s got the goals and the setup numbers. The completeness of his World Cup résumé is starting to look untouchable.
And here’s the thing: he might not be done. If Argentina holds onto this lead against Switzerland, they’d advance to the semifinals. That would give Messi at least two more matches to pile on — a semifinal and either a final or a third-place game. Knowing him, he’ll probably add to both columns.
Does this guy ever slow down? The answer, apparently, is no.
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