Mondays don’t seem so bad when it’s World Cup time, and we’re in for another treat as we start a new week of the tournament.
After Cape Verde continued its fairytale run and Spain got back to winning ways yesterday, today’s action involves three superstars who all impressed last week.
First up is Lionel Messi, who has already made history (more on that below). After that, we’ll have Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland taking to the pitch as the race for the Golden Boot (the tournament’s top scorer) heats up.
First, though, a note on the greatest to ever do it.
If this World Cup has proved anything so far, it’s that Lionel Messi is still capable of being one of the best players in the world.
The Argentine’s hat-trick last week against Algeria felt like a throwback to the forward’s prime, where he would turn up and win a match all by himself.
As brilliant as it was, it was also a very emotional moment for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. After the game, Messi was asked why he had started crying on the pitch after scoring his first goal.
“I went through some difficult days,” Messi told reporters, without revealing any other details. But shortly after the game, the reasons became clear.
Last week, his family released a statement saying that Jorge Messi, the superstar’s father, was “going through a health situation.”
The family also asked people to avoid “rumors, and speculation” after misinformation about the situation had spread.
Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, is “going through a health situation.”
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
And yet, despite all that on his mind, Messi is expected to take on the weight of expectation again against Austria in his nation’s second match of the tournament.
“It’s incredible that Messi started such a tournament with a hat-trick. Absolutely insane,” Austria captain David Alaba said, per Reuters, about the threat the superstar poses.
“We know what kind of opponent we’re up against, what kind of quality they have in their ranks, even besides Messi, but also what they’re capable of as a team.”
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, made more history on Monday when he passed Miroslav Klose as the highest scorer in World Cup history.
He missed one chance to pass Klose, sending an eighth-minute penalty wide, but made up for it 30 minutes later when he sent a rocket from the edge of the box past the Austrian keeper.
He scored again just before the full-time whistle, putting himself two goals clear of Klose and giving himself five goals in two games so far in this tournament.
