{"id":3690,"date":"2026-06-21T14:04:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T14:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3690"},"modified":"2026-06-21T14:04:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T14:04:46","slug":"argentina-may-have-america-to-thank-for-lionel-messis-latest-world-cup-heroics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3690","title":{"rendered":"Argentina may have America to thank for Lionel Messi\u2019s latest World Cup heroics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi\u2019s move to America will look like a masterstroke if he leads Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3688\">\u2018Some of the worst I\u2019ve ever seen\u2019: No bond for man, woman charged in southern Wake County sexual abuse, child abuse investigation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>His decision to join Inter Miami in 2023 has already been good for all parties, raising the profile of soccer in the United States, delivering titles for his club and writing a new chapter in his storied career. <\/p>\n<p>But Argentina could be the biggest winner of all, with Messi arriving at what might be his last World Cup with his powers still at stratospheric levels aged 38. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeo will be the best for as long as he wants; he has been doing it every single match for the last 20 years,\u201d said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.<\/p>\n<p>Thierry Henry described him as \u201con the moon\u201d after his hat trick in Argentina\u2019s opening game against Algeria.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeo is just different. It\u2019s just a different topic,\u201d Henry told Fox Sports. <\/p>\n<p>Messi scored his first hat trick at a World Cup and also moved level on 16 goals with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in tournament history. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried to prepare myself in the best possible way to feel good physically, to feel useful, and to be able to help the group,\u201d Messi said. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s an understatement.<\/p>\n<p>Despite saying the last World Cup was likely his last, Messi is once again at the heart of the Argentina team, its biggest creative and attacking threat. At this stage of his career, that was far from guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should be used to this, but if you ever needed any more confirmation that when it comes to Argentina, Messi is the system, he is the tactic, he\u2019s the formation, he\u2019s the identity and he is the heart,\u201d Fox analyst Alexi Lalas said after the 3-0 win against Algeria. \u201cIt was something to behold.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Messi has not lost his rhythm after US move<\/h3>\n<p>Messi left behind the intensity of European soccer to join Inter Miami in 2023, delivering a massive boost for Major League Soccer.<\/p>\n<p>He said he wanted to \u201clive football in another way\u201d and while that included changes to his home life in the U.S., there was also a step down in the level of competition compared to Europe\u2019s top leagues.<\/p>\n<p>But at a time when top players are warning of burnout because of soccer\u2019s increasingly congested calendar, Messi appears to be benefiting from making the move. He has played fewer games in the U.S. than at the height of his Barcelona career when he could play in excess of 50 a season. His performance at the start of this World Cup shows he hasn\u2019t lost his sharpness even if he is not regularly facing the world\u2019s top defenders in MLS.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3685\">2nd teen shooter sentenced in murder of reality TV star\u2019s son in Johnston County: DA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love to play, to compete. And no matter where it is, today I find myself at another World Cup, which brings extra happiness, but I prepare myself just as I have done throughout my entire career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Many people already rated the eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner as the greatest soccer player of all time. But even past his peak years, he has hit new heights on the sport\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n<p>His long-awaited World Cup triumph in 2022 came after his move away from Barcelona, where he was winning Champions League titles and setting scoring records, but repeatedly fell short with Argentina in international tournaments. <\/p>\n<p>He was at Paris Saint-Germain when, as a 35-year-old and playing in his fifth World Cup, he finally managed to win the one trophy that had eluded him. Again, Argentina may have been the beneficiary of its icon taking a step down at club level.<\/p>\n<p>While PSG hoped Messi\u2019s arrival could deliver the Champions League, the domestic competition in France is not regarded as highly as Spain\u2019s. Messi no longer faced such intense soccer on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n<p>He went on to produce his finest form at a World Cup in 2022, scoring seven goals, including two in the final as Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout. He managed just one goal at the previous edition in Russia.<\/p>\n<h3>Messi is an inspiration for his teammates<\/h3>\n<p>He is back again four years later and looks like he is in the mood for more. <\/p>\n<p>His Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul has spoken of the extra training both players had put in to ensure they were in peak condition for the tournament. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe killed ourselves to, physically, arrive in the best way,\u201d De Paul said.<\/p>\n<p>Messi, meanwhile, has taken inspiration from Rafa Nadal after watching the Netflix docuseries on the tennis great\u2019s drive to stay at the top of his game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am very similar in that sense. I always want to feel good. As long as I can and I am well, I will be there,\u201d Messi said.<\/p>\n<p>For his teammates, he is simply the biggest inspiration. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat Leo transmits is spectacular, it is hard to explain,\u201d said Scaloni. \u201cHis teammates view him both as a God and as a kid from the neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, you just run out of words. Beyond the goals he scores, it is what he transmits\u2014both to his teammates and to the fans. We will miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=3683\">Person found dead in \u2018fully engulfed\u2019 car in Apex after grass fire reported, police say<\/a><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>AP sports writer Debora Rey contributed to this report from Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>James Robson is at https:\/\/x.com\/jamesalanrobson<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/fifa-world-cup<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi\u2019s move to America will look like a masterstroke if he&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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