Evergreen Messi on the verge of world record

When the World Cup winners face Austria on Monday, Argentine magician Lionel Messi will be on the verge of yet another footballing milestone. And this Messi celebration in Dallas will revolve around him.

Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria, which took him level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup goal record of 16.

The captain broke down in tears after his first goal. It was later revealed that his father was recovering from an unspecified “health issue”.

The Inter Miami forward did not confirm until the very last minute whether he would play in the North American tournament.

However, no one really expected Messi to lead Argentina’s campaign to win the World Cup for the second time in a row, becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain magician led his country to World Cup glory four years ago, and the lure of representing his country on the biggest stage has proven irresistible.

The Dallas Cowboys’ impressive air-conditioned stadium for Argentina’s second group stage match against Austria could be a perfect stage for Messi to break Klose’s record.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a statistic and nothing more,” said Messi, widely considered the greatest footballer of all time.

Victory against Austria would take Lionel Scaloni’s side to the last 32 as Group J champions with one match remaining, giving Messi the chance to re-energise himself for the knockout stages.

Austria, under the acclaimed Ralf Rangnick, will not give up easily, however.

They also moved closer to the next round by defeating debutant Jordan 3-1.

After that jubilation four years ago, it’s easy to forget that Argentina’s fans didn’t always give Messi godlike status.

There was a feeling earlier that he could not show the same brilliance for his country that he had shown for over 15 years at Barcelona.

‘Going to war’ for Messi

A quick look back now shows that even as he approaches middle age, Messi’s small presence inspires his teammates on and off the field.

“If anyone thought this team would have been better off without Leo, it became clear today that Leo is more important than all of them,” midfielder Alexis McAllister said after the Algeria match.

He may not have the pace he used to have and he plays a bit more sporadically now, but the rest of the Argentina team is more than happy to work hard and give him the chance to shine as he pleases.

Scaloni, who was Messi’s teammate at his first World Cup in 2006, has created a suitable environment around their captain.

“He’s playing with a group of friends, people who will play their hearts out for him,” the Argentine boss said.

‘Whenever they need to talk to him, they can just go to him and it’s really hard to explain what he expresses.’

‘I could spend over an hour here with you explaining exactly what he does, but you have to be there to really understand it.’

‘You have to understand that environment, that atmosphere.’

Unlike Portugal, where an aging Cristiano Ronaldo has become a problem for coach Roberto Martinez; Argentina’s players have made it clear that they will do whatever it takes to help Messi unleash his best in the opposition’s defense.

“He’s been my idol since I was a kid. Naturally, you want to reciprocate,” his fellow forward Julián Alvarez told DAZN.

Rodrigo de Paul, who also plays with Messi at Inter Miami, put it more bluntly: ‘If he asks you, he will make you want to go to war.’