Lionel Messi will be playing in his second World Cup final in 8 years, or will he? There are some speculations about the Argentine talisman’s fitness before the final on Sunday.
Lionel Messi has been the main for the Albicelsete in this World Cup. It is not surprising given the quality this magic man possesses even at 35. He is the leading goalscorer in this World Cup alongside his clubmate Kylian Mbappe with 5. He has been named the man of the match four times in this tournament taking his total to 10 ahead of his close rival Cristiano Ronaldo who is on 7.
LIONEL MESSI WINS HIS 4TH MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP 🐐🏆
No player has more. pic.twitter.com/5CIpjj45ik
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 13, 2022
The Netherlands and Croatia both were tough tests to pass for Argentina for a place in the final. The PSG forward played very important roles in both matches. Against the Netherlands, he scored the second goal of the match from the penalty spot. He also converted his pressure penalty in the shootout.
A defensively sound Croatia tried to sit deep and defend against an explosive Argentine attack. Lionel Messi’s genius proved to be a bit too much to handle for the Croatians. He scored the first goal as a penalty through a controversial refereeing decision. Leo played extremely important roles in both goals for Julian Alvarez setting up one directly in his typical fashion for the 22-year-old striker.
Is Lionel Messi fit for the World Cup final against France?
A smoke of doubt is up on Lionel Messi’s fitness before the World Cup final on Sunday. According to multiple media reports, he is not fully fit. He was holding his hamstring in the early minutes of the semi-final against Croatia. The problem seemed to have gone after the Argentine float throughout the match. He played the full match without any further issues.
Argentina holds its breath 🤕 pic.twitter.com/nw4AjsJKGr
— GOAL (@goal) December 13, 2022
The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner missed training on 15th December and nothing worries the fans more than this news. Not training with the team yesterday looks like a precautionary action. Lionel Messi will be ready to take revenge for their 2018 World Cup round of 16 loss against the French. He will also battle it out for the Golden Boot with the excellent Kylian Mbappe. Soccer fans will hold their breath to witness Lionel Messi for one last time in the World Cup stages.