👑 Infinite Messi ∞ Leo in tears, at 39 still driving Argentina

👑 Infinite Messi ∞ Leo in tears, at 39 still driving Argentina It’s the World Cup of champions, that much is clear. Haaland, Mbappé, Kane — they all score, and they do it constantly. But above all, Leo Messi .  At 39, just recently turned, the Rosario phenomenon once again grabs the global headlines and drags Argentina into the World Cup quarter-finals . But what glorious madness unfolded in Atlanta, with a comeback that already feels historic . Never before in World Cup history had a team come back from three goals down in regular time from the 79th minute onward. But this Argentina has the greatest player in history, capable of getting almost everything wrong in the first half, only to then win it almost single-handedly with the genius plays that define him. 👑 Long live the king Nights like this extend a career as much as a legend. Leo’s tears speak volumes ; at the end of the match, he could not hold back his emotion after a comeback that perhaps not even he truly believed in anymore. On days when we have witnessed other similar scenes, from Neymar’s tears to Cristiano Ronaldo’s, Leo’s tears make it very clear why Argentina’s No. 10 is still there today, still at the center of it all. On one side, two players who no longer have anything left to give to top-level football and who, sad as it is to admit, dragged themselves into this World Cup . Neymar’s call-up by Ancelotti looked more like a political decision than a footballing one; CR7’s unquestioned starting role probably spelled the end of Portugal’s dreams of glory . Messi, on the other hand, no, he was not dragged along. He did the dragging . From the hat-trick in the opener against Algeria, to the two goals against Austria, to today’s comeback. He has always been the extra man for this Argentina, not someone to be carried because of what he did in the past. 🙇‍♂️ The group comes first Proof of that came in the post-match images, showing an Argentina at the feet of its captain, literally carried in triumph .  An emotional Scaloni underlined the strength of the group, which probably is not the most talented squad at this World Cup in terms of individuals, and perhaps not even the second-most talented, but it has a unity of purpose the others do not possess.  And when you add the Messi factor to all of that, it becomes clear why no one should underestimate this Argentina. It may no longer be as organized as it was in Qatar, or as beautiful to watch as when Di Maria was still there, or even as young as it was four years ago. But it is still hungry — and it has an idol to follow .  This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.