He is 39. But what Lionel Messi is doing on the pitch makes age seem just a number. The Argentina captain has come into this tournament with an even greater hunger for victory. In a thrilling semifinal against England, it was Messi’s two assists that wrote Argentina’s fairytale comeback. After seven World Cup matches, Messi leads the race for both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot.
Messi and Kylian Mbappe have both scored eight goals so far. Both will play one more match in this tournament.
In the race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the World Cup’s top scorer, Messi is now ahead — because when goals are level, the number of assists is counted, and there Messi is one assist ahead of Mbappe.
So far Messi has four assists and Mbappe three. The main battle for the Golden Boot will be between these two. Also in the race are England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, both on six goals and one assist; Ousmane Dembele on five goals and two assists; and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal on five goals and one assist. All of them will play one more match.
Although Messi has rivals in the Golden Boot race, he is considered the clear front-runner for the best-player award, the Golden Ball. If Argentina become champions — and even if they finish runners-up — his incredible performances could earn him the tournament’s best-player award for a record third time. Messi was previously named the best footballer at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report