Messi is in No Mood to Pass the Legacy

The name Messi has transcended the boundaries of contemporary sport, evolving into an institution that defines the very essence of modern football. When a teenage prodigy from Rosario made his tournament debut in 2006, marking the occasion with a clinical goal, it signaled the arrival of a rare talent. Yet, few could have anticipated that this quiet introduction would inaugurate an entire epoch of global dominance, placing the trajectory of both Argentine and international football firmly within his grasp.

From 2006 to 2010, Messi was establishing his competence in the world of football as he was giving his heart and soul to football, apart from something people would call a life. When the 2010 World Cup came, people started saying there is already a flag carrier of legacy to Maradona. Maradona, a name Argentines would never forget for the contribution and value he added to make the Argentine national team proud through victorious results and being second-time champions in 1986, which became something to cherish for several decades until 2022.

It was a heartbreaking series in 2014 when Argentina, under Messi’s captainship, lost the final to Germany and settled as runners-up. This was the utmost pain because winning the World Cup could only make him what Maradona was to Argentinians. This World Cup final haunt was still a fresh wound when he lost two more back-to-back finals of the Copa América that kept him trophyless for his country. On the other hand, Messi was already a GOAT—the greatest of all time. People talked about his skills, consistency, and what not. On the individual level, He won everything that was possible. Similarly, from his club Barcelona, there was nothing he was yet to win. It was just the international trophy for his country that still haunted him, although He was the best of the rest.

His very own friend Cristiano Ronaldo, whose stat once looked just like Messi’s, always drew comparisons between the two. Both were the very best at what they did, and those two became the face of football. Ronaldo, although without making a significant impact with his country Portugal, won the Euro Cup in 2016, and that became a matter of larger debate—that now Ronaldo had it all, while Messi remained an observer at the very bank of the flowing river.

Messi not only played or lost finals, but it became a part of what his luck with his country’s games started looking like, while his impact throughout always remained remarkable. In fact, during 2014, if it were not for Messi, people wouldn’t have seen Argentina in the final. That too got validity when, although they lost to Germany, Messi won the Golden Ball given to the very best player of the tournament.

World Cup 2018 was a dry tournament for both Argentina and Messi. They couldn’t really make an impact and got out of the tournament losing to France in the Round of 16, although the group matches looked fine. Messi was already approaching 32 when the 2018 World Cup ended, and people started saying Messi would have an internationally trophyless career, and there was no chance for the next World Cup because he would be at least 35 by then. Till then, Messi had no answer to all of this, because holding any other view needed some grounds, and it actually looked cracked in the way people described it.

The heavy clouds of doubt finally shattered in 2021 when Messi led Argentina to a historic Copa América triumph, defeating Brazil on their home soil. The agonizing international trophy drought had officially ended. As the final whistle blew, the immense weight of a nation’s expectations melted away, and Messi literally cried on the pitch, buried in the arms of his teammates who rushed to celebrate their captain. This long-awaited victory broke the curse, and it was quickly followed by a dominant masterclass in the 2022 Finalissima against Italy at Wembley, proving to the world that Argentina was no longer a tragic story of missed opportunities, but a fierce machine ready for the ultimate stage.

Then came 35-year-old Messi with Argentina in Qatar, a tournament that started by losing its first game to Saudi Arabia, becoming the subject of jokes and memes like “Where is Messi?”. But the team looked different; they wanted to win the World Cup for Messi as much as they wanted to win it for the country. Those guys were the ones who, as kids, saw Messi playing in 2010, and those who, as teenagers, saw Messi losing the 2014 final. This became a matter of utmost importance to win it for both. They played like a team, they played a wonderful piece of football, and ended up raising the trophy by defeating France in the most thrilling final in Lusail Stadium, Qatar. That final became the most watched game in football history. They played like a team, but not to forget, here too Messi led from the front, winning the Golden Ball and making him the only player in history to ever win two Golden Balls. It was the icing on the cake, and every doubt, every meme, and everything was settled.

Even now, as the defending world champions open their 2026 World Cup campaign, the magic shows absolutely no signs of fading. Argentina’s dominant 3-0 win against Algeria was completely dictated by Lionel Messi, who fired a spectacular hat-trick to tie the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record on the exact 20-year anniversary of his tournament debut.

Any lingering suspicion that the Algeria masterclass was a solitary burst of fading genius was emphatically erased last night against Austria. In a performance that bordered on the inevitable, Messi completely orchestrated a 2-0 victory, turning a potentially frustrating evening—which began with a rare missed penalty into a historic clinic. By finding the net in the 38th minute and striking again deep in stoppage time, the captain didn’t just secure Argentina’s passage into the knockout rounds; he rewrote the sport’s ultimate record books. With those two goals, his tournament tally reached 18, officially making him the outright highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, surpassing German legend Miroslav Klose. The brace also meant that out of all five goals Argentina has produced in this young tournament, Messi owns them all—three in Kansas City, two in Dallas.  At nearly 39, he isn’t out there playing with the mentality of passing down the legacy to the youngsters just yet, nor is he ready to simply sit back and watch the next generation take over. He dominates because his hunger remains untouched, beautifully echoing the sentiment shared by Aman Pratap Adhikary: “Because he can still play, and that’s what matters.”

Author Adhikari is a correspondent with Deshsanchar, covering politics, society, and contemporary issues.