'That's why he's the king' - Messi sets up third World Cup final

Four years ago, Lionel Messi's story seemed complete. At 35, he had finally won the World Cup—the one thing missing from his résumé—and said it would be his last tournament. Before that, at 31, many thought he'd never get another chance. Now, at 39, he has just dismantled England and sent Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final.

Messi's performance in Atlanta was not subtle. After England took a 55th-minute lead through Anthony Gordon, Argentina seized control with a tactical shift that freed their aging maestro to the right wing. What followed was a masterclass in how a single player can bend a match to his will. In the final 37 minutes, Argentina held 88 percent possession. Messi completed nine dribbles—a record for a World Cup knockout game since 1966—and created two goals from nothing. He had seven touches in England's penalty box; all of England's outfield players combined had seven. He crossed nine times, more than anyone else on the pitch. The first goal came from a corner routine in the 85th minute when he found Enzo Fernández, who struck from outside the box. The second, in injury time, was a cross to Lautaro Martínez for a header. Argentina won 2-1.

The numbers tell part of the story. Messi now has eight goals and four assists at this tournament—joint top scorer and second-highest assister. He became the all-time leading scorer at World Cups with 21 goals, fifteen of them scored after his 35th birthday. Eight have come this summer, matching Kylian Mbappé, though Messi holds the tiebreaker with four assists to Mbappé's three. If he scores or assists in Sunday's final against Spain in New Jersey, he will equal his own record of 14 consecutive goal contributions set in 2011. He will also become only the second player after Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals.

What made the performance remarkable was not just the output but the reinvention it represented. Messi walked 47 percent of the distance he covered in this tournament—the highest percentage of any outfield player—yet still controlled the game. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who wrote Messi's biography, notes he has tactically reinvented himself at least five times. The player who once dribbled past entire defenses now orchestrates from deeper positions, moving the ball with precision rather than pace. His manager, Lionel Scaloni, said afterward: "He's the best player in history. I don't know what else he would have to do to prove that."

England's Thomas Tuchel had no answer. Harry Kane acknowledged that Messi, like all truly dangerous players, can create something from nothing when the ball reaches his feet. Former England defender Micah Richards put it more plainly: "They have the GOAT. This is why he is the king." Joe Hart, the former England keeper, noted that Argentina's defensive setup—locking the door as they had against Mexico and Norway—freed Messi to operate as the "skeleton key" that unlocked everything.

The larger question now is whether this will finally be the end. When Messi won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, he said he was finishing his journey in the tournament, that there would be too many years until the next one. He moved to Inter Miami the following year, seemingly winding down. Yet here he is, still unstoppable, having scored or assisted in 13 consecutive matches for club and country. He turns 43 in 2030. Surely this final in New Jersey will be his last World Cup game.

But perhaps, after everything Messi has done—after proving wrong every prediction of decline, after winning what seemed impossible to win, after returning when everyone thought he was gone—we should stop presuming anything. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has spent his career making fools of those who thought they knew when his story would end.