Messi saves his greatest performance for Finals in Qatar

• Messi has been Argentina’s standout player from start of the tournament.
• Messi inspired team after shocking opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia.
• His impudent assist to Nahuel Molina is contender for one of  greatest assists.

Argentina’s genius Lionel Messi has kept the most magical scene for his final World Cup performance, and he still has one line to write it. As if he hadn’t already written enough fairy tales.

Messi has dominated the Qatar competition while other superstars like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have disappointed and left the tournament early. Messi is under intense pressure to emulate the late great Diego Maradona and return the Cup to Buenos Aires.

Messi, who is 35 years old, is towards the conclusion of his career and has played in his sixth World Cup, yet he has been the tournament’s standout player from Argentina’s first game until their victory over Croatia in the semi-final.

His performance numbers speak for themselves: six starts, five goals, and three assists on the way to the final against France on Sunday.

Messi has broken so many records it is difficult to keep up with them all. He has surpassed Maradona’s total of World Cup goals and appearances for Argentina, and on Sunday he will surpass Lothar Matthaeus’ joint record of 25 tournament appearances.

Messi‘s hypnotic movement and exuberant celebrations have thrilled football fans across the world more than the brilliant data, though.

Messi has patiently waited for his opportunity to strike, using his low centre of gravity, surprising change of pace, and shimmying runs with the ball glued to feet to lethal effect. At times, he has scarcely bothered to defend.

In the words of British sports writer Jonathan Wilson, he is “a sprite floating on the periphery of the game until the moment is right.” “You can mark a guy, but ghosts are more tougher to mark.”

Messi inspired the team after a shocking opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia; five victories followed.

His most impressive goal came against Mexico and was a lavish low strike from outside the box.

And commentators are still scratching their heads over his impudent assist to Nahuel Molina, who scored Argentina’s opening goal in the quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. The fact that Messi did not glance up and still connected with Molina with absurd precision made it noteworthy and a contender for one of the greatest assists of all time.

Messi solidified his relationship with Argentine supporters in that match, who had previously criticised him harshly for lacking Maradona’s outgoing personality, love for his country, and 1986 World Cup victory.

Messi, who is always well-behaved, raced towards the Dutch bench while cupping his ears in a provocative gesture after converting a penalty to throw Argentine fans into a frenzy.

Then, following the match, he taunted a Dutch striker with the following insult: “What are you staring at, fool?”

Although some commentators criticised him for showing contempt, most Argentine fans cheered when the shy Messi displayed moments of rebellion akin to those of Maradona.

The sentence is inked on certain people’s bodies.

“He finally let his “inner Maradona” emerge during the game against Holland. They are one. They never die. Argentina, they are!” Jorge Castellanos, an excited fan who was at the game with a flag showing both guys arm in arm, stated this.

Despite all the praise, everyone is aware that defeating France is still necessary to achieve true immortal equivalence with Maradona, at least in the world’s largest athletic event.

Many non-Argentines have Argentina as their second team for a long time in the hopes that Messi will win the World Cup if their own country does not, capping off what would be a wonderful tale.

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