Argentina captain Lionel Messi has the opportunity to win a second World Cup trophy after playing a key role in their semi-final win over England on Wednesday night13:23, 16 Jul 2026Updated 13:25, 16 Jul 2026Lionel Messi has moved ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup Golden Boot race after his two assists against England. The holders will face Spain in Sunday's final after coming from behind to beat Thomas Tuchel's side 2-1 on Wednesday night.‌The South American giants have needed to show all their grit and resilience in North America. Argentina survived a dramatic last-32 clash against Cape Verde before coming back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16.‌Lionel Scaloni's team then needed extra time to see off Switzerland before coming from behind again to knock out England in the semi-finals. The 2022 champions have again been spearheaded by Messi, with the Inter Miami star netting eight goals at this summer's World Cup.‌The 39-year-old's goals had him tied with France's Mbappe, but FIFA rules stipulate that his two assists against the Three Lions place him above the Real Madrid forward in the rankings. Mbappe could yet respond in Saturday's third-placed playoff against England.But if the Real Madrid forward does not net again or provide more assists than Messi at this year's tournament - the Golden Boot race will be all but over before a ball is kicked in New York on Sunday.Messi's full focus, though, will be on helping his country become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. And the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner believes his Argentina team-mates silenced any remaining critics with their last four win over England.‌After the match, he said: "It was a special match against England, we couldn't lose. While this group doesn't owe anything to anyone, you know how Argentinians are, we always demand more."I think if we had lost today, people would have come out and said some nonsense, and we didn't give them the chance. We knew that we were better than them in terms of football.‌Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!"But a lot is at stake in a match of this magnitude, where historic events happen in these games, but it's still special because of everything it represents, and we had to win."When Messi appears against Spain, he will become only the second player, after Brazil legend Cafu, to play in three World Cup finals. Victory against the Euro 2024 winners would also see the former Barcelona star become the first captain to retain football's most famous trophy.‌He added: "Everything we experienced was incredible, from the very beginning, as we said."Although it was a football match, when we started to enter the field and during the anthem, we experienced special feelings, and the group felt that. It wasn't just another victory; it was an important victory that the Argentine people wanted, and we wanted it too, and it put us in another World Cup final."It's crazy to play two World Cup finals in a row. This group is incredible. Today we went looking for it again when things got tough, we never stopped believing, never stopped trying.Article continues below"With our style of play, today we really put our game into it when we were down on the scoreboard. We pinned them back in their own half and it's an enormous joy."Content cannot be displayed without consentJoin our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.