Two days before his 39th birthday, Lionel Messi scored his 17th and 18th World Cup goals, breaking Miroslav Klose’s record. The world is at his feet — once again.
Messi also incidentally led Argentina to advance to the knockout stage prematurely, as the 2-0 victory in Dallas against Austria was the world champion’s second win in their second match. With five goals, Messi is, of course, also leading the scoring charts in the tournament held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Here’s an overview of the international press reactions to the historic achievement of the perhaps (or quite certainly) best footballer of all time.
ARGENTINA
Clarin: «A new symphony from Lionel Messi, accompanied by an orchestra that supports him flawlessly. Messi is becoming more and more of a legend. Incredible! Another chapter in the history books for Messi, who, at almost 39 years old, plays and runs like a child.»
La Nacion: «King of the World! No one can stop the king. The Argentine captain is breaking all records. His fighting spirit is unbroken, his talent has no expiration date, which is why Messi always finds arguments to refute any categorization.»
ENGLAND
The Times: «Lionel Messi tears up the record books.»
Guardian: «The unstoppable Messi breaks the World Cup scoring record. It had to be Lionel Messi, it had to be on this day, and perhaps it even had to be in Dallas. A first Golden Boot wouldn’t be a bad gift for an icon who turns 39 on Wednesday.»
FRANCE
L’Equipe: «A historic Messi secures Argentina’s advancement. Shortly before his 39th birthday, Lionel Messi wastes no time, and the Argentine captain settled the question of the World Cup scoring record in no time.»
Le Figaro: «Messi pushes the boundaries. How far will he go? After his brilliant hat-trick against Algeria, Lionel Messi cemented his legend status in football with a brace against Austria.»
ITALY
Gazzetta dello Sport: «Messi doesn’t stop: he reaches 18 goals and pulls away from Klose. Messi is the undisputed light of this solid, compact, though not overly spectacular Argentina – apart from the captain himself. On Wednesday, the ’10’ will celebrate his 39th birthday, but he runs like a youngster. In the end, even the Austrians go to him to embrace him.»
La Repubblica: «Incredible, unstoppable Messi. He is making history, once again.»
SPAIN
As: «Messi, legend among legends, a myth among myths.»
Marca: «Him again. The ’10’ again. Lionel Messi again. What this kid achieves is astonishing.»
AUSTRIA
Der Standard: «In the end, Argentina had one Lionel Messi too many. The Austrian national team fought bravely, but even on an inefficient day, the Argentine superstar was unstoppable.»
SWITZERLAND
Blick: «Messi crowns himself the sole World Cup scoring king. 40 years after Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal, Lionel Messi provides another memorable World Cup moment.»