Lionel Messi’s latest effortless hat-trick epitomised his ridiculousness
As if we need a reminder, midweek, Lionel Messi proved his greatness and delivered another delicious hat-trick to Argentina.
It’s always great fun to watch Messi, but when he plays for Argentina he has an extra advantage. It’s like every touch of the ball means a little bit more. With a booming Argentine crowd cheering him on, Messi didn’t disappoint locals.
With three goals and one assist, he became the most-contributed international goal-scorer of the 21st century, overtaking Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.
He scored the first goal in typical Messi fashion, catching the ball on the edge of the box before leaving two defenders dead and burying the goal with his right foot.
The diminutive Maestro somehow manages to read the game in slow motion while the rest of us mere mortals can only stand by and watch. This was the second part of Argentina’s World Cup homecoming and Messi was determined to put on a show.
His left foot should be considered a deadly weapon as the second goal was all too easy. After being brought on by Nicolas Gonzalez, Messi didn’t disappoint with the finish.
The third destination was like stepping into a time machine. Argentina quickly broke loose for a counterattack as Messi rolled back the years and sprinted on goal before sending the keeper the wrong way.
Those lung-bursting sprints are pretty rare for the 35-year-old these days, but once he gets going there’s no stopping him.
Messi will of course have tougher opponents than Curacao but we can’t help but get carried away by his genius. This performance was an absolute box office hit.
MESSI WHAT A CRAZY HALF ENJOY THE GOALS!!!! 🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/f9nwKcoUeS
— mx ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@MessiMX30iiii) March 29, 2023
With three goals and one assist in this game, Messi now has 28 goals in his last 14 games for Argentina. When he’s in the mood, he’s in a league of his own.
Lionel Scaloni was quick to praise Argentina fans after the game after he and the players received a hero’s welcome in Argentina.
“Argentine fans have always been one of the best and now they are the best. When we played with this shirt, we always felt identified. Wherever we went, they always support us,” Scaloni told reporters.
“We will continue to think objectively about what we may be missing. We have a wide range of players. Thirty three came so we have the pattern to choose from. If others come, they will come too.
“The welcome was very nice and I thank everyone who came to see their heroes. People came from everywhere.
“The week was very emotional. Seeing the people jumping and singing by River in the stadium, seeing the emotional players on the pitch, I think that was one of the best moments.”
With 102 international goals, Messi is now behind only Ali Daei and Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of all-time international top scorers.
Given the rate he’s making at this point, we think he has every chance of catching up.
By Ben Stewart
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