Lionel Messi he insisted that he is not thinking about his age and is only thinking about staying fit after re-writing FIFA World Cup books just two days before his 39th birthday.The Argentina captain scored twice in Austria’s 2-0 win in Texas, becoming the top scorer in men’s World Cup history while also setting a new record for the most goals by any player in the tournament.Messi’s first-half strike took him past Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goals tally of 16, while his stoppage time tally took him to 18. The win also gave Messi his 18th World Cup win, surpassing Klose’s record of 17.
‘I just think about getting better’
As his 39th birthday approaches on June 24, Messi has made it clear that thoughts of aging are not on his mind.“I’m not wasting time thinking about my age. I’m just thinking about getting better,” Messi told reporters after the match. “I feel good physically, and maybe that’s why I’m playing well.”The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also said he was unsure whether he would feature in Argentina’s Group J final against Jordan as the defending champions finished in the round of 32.“The manager (Lionel Scaloni) will decide if I play or not, or how much I play,” Messi said. “I feel good and happy to be part of this team, which is always competitive no matter who it is and is never comfortable.”
Missed penalty ‘hit us a bit’
Messi’s evening began with disappointment when he missed a penalty in the sixth minute. He admitted that the setback has disrupted Argentina’s rhythm.Messi said the missed chance affected the team “a little bit”.“We missed two or three chances,” he said. “We were controlling the game, but the ball didn’t go in. Then we were able to recover, playing fast football.”“The team competes, and it competes very well. We can play better or worse, but there is no doubt that we will compete in every game in the same way, regardless of who the opponent is,” he added.The feat also made Messi the second player after Klose to score four or more goals in three different World Cup matches and moved him to the top scorer in the ongoing competition with five goals in two matches.
