As Lionel Messi turned 39 on Wednesday (June 24), fans across Argentina stopped whatever they were doing to sing “Happy Birthday” to him at designated times throughout the day as a tribute to their national hero.
Just two days before turning 39, already older than Diego Maradona was when he retired from football, Messi continues to break records. On Monday, the Argentina captain added another milestone to a career defined by magic, greatness, and drama, scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Austria to become the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer with 18 goals.
For his teammates, even after all these years, the sense of wonder has not worn off.
"It's crazy," Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes told TyC Sports. "He keeps surprising us in every training session, in every match. It's a pleasure for us, and we try to enjoy him day by day, not only on the pitch but off it too, because he is spectacular as a person."
Messi, a father of three, has now rewritten the rules of World Cup longevity, having played in six tournaments and a record 28 matches. He remains the only player to score in the tournament as a teenager, in his 20s, and in his 30s. Now, on the cusp of 40, he has authored one of the tournament's most striking statistical triumphs.
Striker Julian Alvarez said Messi's longevity only made his latest surge more remarkable.
"Twenty years being the best in the world, the best in history, and he still continues to show, at his age, that he has the talent and all his magic," Alvarez said.
Argentina fans are not simply paying tribute to a fading icon or trying to carry him through one last tournament. Four years after Messi led them to glory in Qatar, they are still being lifted by him and still looking to him for the moments that decide games.
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