The Blockbuster Final That Caps Off a Triumphant World Cup
Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi, together again.
It seems almost amusing that there was ever a discussion about whether or not Lionel Messi is the greatest soccer player of all time. The Argentina forward — who, lest you forget, is still playing here in the MLS for Inter Miami, and will in fact be in New Jersey again this October — has long battled Pele and Diego Maradona for GOAT status, but if there were any doubt left after Argentina’s World Cup win four years ago, there certainly isn’t now. He and his nation have been the cardiac kids of this year’s Cup, scoring 12 different goals after the 75th minute so far, including wild comeback wins against Egypt in the Round of 16 and against poor beleaguered England in the semifinals, both of which took place in Atlanta. (And both of which I was eternally fortunate to witness in person.) Messi has scored and assisted on hundreds upon hundreds of goals in his career, but his setup on the winning goal against England—in which he deked defenders with his left foot and then laid in a platonic ideal cross with his right — will end up as one of his signature highlights. At 39, he has made certain there are no doubters left. Get your Ronaldo junk out of here.
