Lionel Messi was the best player on the pitch and the numbers were blunt about it. He finished on an 8.6 rating, with two assists, four key passes and nine successful dribbles as Argentina came from behind to beat England and reach the World Cup final.
Messi carried the comeback
Argentina were staring at defeat after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead, but they scored twice within eight minutes to turn it around. Enzo Fernández levelled it in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez struck the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.
Messi was involved in both goals and kept finding ways to unpick England. Four key passes show he was creating chances as well as finishing moves, while nine successful dribbles point to how often he carried Argentina forward under pressure. This was not a passenger's display, it was the sort of performance that decides knockout games.
The post-match exchange
After the final whistle, Marc Guéhi stopped Messi in the mixed zone to say, “Good luck for the final.” Messi’s reply was simple: “Thanks, see you.”
Thomas Tuchel watched England lose control of a game they had led, and the last 10 minutes did the damage. Argentina found two goals late, England did not recover, and Messi left with another decisive tournament performance attached to his name.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
