Lionel Messi turns 39 on Wednesday. He might celebrate a day early with a piece of World Cup history that’s been 20 years in the making.
The Argentina captain sits one goal behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup finals record of 16. Messi tied it with a hat-trick against Algeria last week in Kansas City. Now he gets Austria in Arlington, Texas tonight, and the soccer world is watching to see if he finally takes sole possession of the mark.
Messi has been chasing this thing for a while. He scored his first World Cup goal back in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro. Eighteen years, five tournaments, and 16 goals later, he’s on the doorstep. Klose’s record felt untouchable for years. Messi is about to make it feel ordinary.
Scaloni forced to make one change
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has a pretty settled lineup for this Group J matchup, but there’s one injury-related swap he couldn’t avoid. Right-back Gonzalo Montiel — the guy who buried the winning penalty in the 2022 World Cup final against France — is out with a hamstring issue. He pulled up at halftime against Algeria. The team says it’s not serious, but they’re not risking him.
Nahuel Molina steps in. That’s a straightforward replacement. Molina has been in and out of the starting XI anyway, so it’s not panic time for Argentina.
The rest of the defense is familiar. Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez form an all-Premier League center-back pairing. That’s about as physical and aggressive as it gets. Austria’s forwards are going to feel them.
Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez keep their spots in midfield. Thiago Almada gets the nod again over Nico Gonzalez on the wing. Scaloni clearly likes what Almada brings in terms of energy and directness.
Lautaro Martinez gets another shot up top
The big question up front was always going to be Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez alongside Messi. Martinez started against Algeria and got 55 minutes before being subbed off. He didn’t do much. But Scaloni is sticking with him again tonight.
Alvarez — who’s been linked with Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG this summer — has shown he can link up with Messi better than almost anyone. But he’s stuck on the bench here. It’s a choice. Maybe Martinez finds his rhythm. Maybe Scaloni switches it up at halftime. Either way, Argentina has options.
This is a game Argentina should control. Austria under Ralf Rangnick presses hard and tries to create chaos, but Argentina’s midfield is too technical for that to work for 90 minutes. The real story is whether Messi gets that 17th goal. If he does, the record is his. And at 39, that’s a record that might stand for a long time.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. local time at AT&T Stadium. Expect a lot of yellow and blue in the stands. And expect everyone to hold their breath every time Messi touches the ball near the box.
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