Lionel Messi he insisted he was not focused on his age and was only concerned about staying in shape after rewriting FIFA World Cup record books just two days before his 39th birthday.The Argentina captain scored twice in a 2-0 win over Austria in Texas to become the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s World Cup history and also set a new record for most wins by any player at the tournament.Messi’s first-half goal saw him surpass Germany great Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals, while his stoppage-time tally took his tally to 18 goals. The win also gave Messi his 18th World Cup win, surpassing Klose’s previous record of 17 wins.
‘I’m just focused on getting well’
As he approaches his 39th birthday on June 24, Messi has made it clear that thoughts of age do not preoccupy him.“I don’t spend time thinking about my age. I’m just focused on being well,” Messi told reporters after the game. – I feel physically good and maybe that’s why I play better.The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also said he was unsure whether he would feature in Argentina’s Group J final clash against Jordan after the defending champions sealed qualification for the last 16.“The manager (Lionel Scaloni) will decide if I play or not, or how much I play,” Messi said. “I feel good and I’m happy to be part of this group that always competes no matter who the opponent is and never relaxes.”
The missed penalty ‘hit us a little bit’
Messi’s night got off to a frustrating start after he missed a penalty in the sixth minute. He admitted that this failure disrupted Argentina’s rhythm.Messi said the missed opportunity had a “little” effect on the team.We missed two or three clear chances. “We controlled the game, but the ball just wouldn’t go in. Then we managed to recover, playing very intense, very fast football.”“The team competes, and very well. We can play better or worse, but there is no doubt that we will compete in every game in the same way, no matter who our opponent is,” he added.In addition, Messi became only the second player after Klose to score four or more goals in three different World Cups and took him to the top of the scoring charts at the current tournament with five goals in two games.
