Messi Gives Teammates the Chance to Play: 'This Shows Everything About Him'
June 30, 2026 · Global
Lionel Messi, in his role as a substitute in Argentina, gave his team-mates a chance to play in the match against Jordan, highlighting his value to the team. He scored his sixth goal of the tournament and is set for the knockout phase.
Lionel Messi has no objections to his role as a substitute when Argentina played Jordan, coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match. The 39-year-old superstar told coaches earlier that other players also deserved a chance to play. Argentina has confirmed itself as group winners.
"Messi could have played for ninety minutes, but he wanted to give his team-mates a chance too," Scaloni said after the 3-1 win in Group J. "We both agreed that it was best for him to come on in the second half. His attitude says everything about his value to the group."
Half an hour of play was enough for Messi to score his sixth goal of the tournament (via free kick) and ensure the final score was 3-1. The Argentinian, already the World Cup's all-time top scorer, has now become the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. In addition, Messi also became the fifth player to score at least six goals in the group stage, joining Sándor Kocsis (seven goals in 1954), Gerd Müller (seven goals in 1970), Just Fontaine (six goals in 1958), and Oleg Salenko (six goals in 1994).
Argentina is now preparing to enter the knockout phase, where they will face surprising team, Cape Verde, on the night of Friday to Saturday. "I'm not at all surprised by their performance," said Scaloni. "This is a good team with a lot of quality, they are very fast. They don't make things difficult for Spain without reason."