Friday/Saturday, July 17, 2026

Al Jazeera – Hammoud Al-Mutairi:

Argentine star Lionel Messi responded in the best way to the controversy that preceded his country's match against England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, after leading 'La Albiceleste' to victory and reaching the final for the second consecutive time, in a match preceded by criticism from English media, most notably the Daily Mail, which raised allegations about the referee's bias in favor of Argentina.

Messi did not get distracted by what was stirred up off the pitch, but left his response on the field, leading his country past the English team and continuing the journey towards the title, reaffirming once again that his presence in big moments still makes a difference.

With this achievement, the Argentine captain continued to cement his status as the greatest player in World Cup history, having raised his record to exceptional numbers, most notably:

* All-time top scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals.

* Most assists with 12 decisive passes.

* Most goal contributions with 33 contributions.

* Most goal contributions in knockout stages with 17 contributions.

* Most assists in knockout stages with 10 decisive passes.

* Most goals scored against different national teams (15 teams).

* Most goals scored in different matches (16 matches).

* Most goals scored in consecutive matches (9 matches).

* Most wins of the Best Player award in the tournament (2 times).

* Oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history at age 38.

* Most goals scored from direct free kicks in tournament history (2 goals).

* The only player to have scored in every round of a single World Cup edition.

Messi also strengthened his record for the most Man of the Match awards in World Cup history, after winning it for the 16th time, confirming his continued dominance of the biggest football event in the world.

While some English media were preoccupied with talking about the referee before the match, Messi's response came practically on the field, leading Argentina to the final and adding a new chapter to his historic career, on another night where he proved that the language of football is the strongest response. The 'wonder of football' Messi led his country to three World Cup finals: in 2014 he lost the final to Germany 1-0, in 2022 he won the world title in the Qatar final against France, and in the 2026 edition he returns to reach the final.

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