Lionel Messi Insists he’s not concerned about his age and is only concerned about staying healthy after rewriting fifa world cup Just two days before his 39th birthday, he set the record.The Argentina captain became the top scorer in Men’s World Cup history with a brace in Texas’ 2-0 victory over Austria, and also set the record for the most wins at the tournament.Messi’s first-half goal took him past Germany star Miroslav Klose’s tally of 16 at the World Cup, while his stoppage-time strike took his total to 18. The victory also gave Messi his 18th World Cup title, surpassing Klose’s previous record of 17 wins.
‘I’m just focused on staying healthy’
As Messi approaches his 39th birthday on June 24, he made it clear that thoughts of age do not occupy his mind.“I don’t spend time thinking about my age. I just focus on staying healthy,” Messi told reporters after the game. “I feel good physically and maybe that’s why I’m playing better.”The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also said he was unsure whether he would play in the final Group J game against Jordan after the defending champions sealed their place in the last 32.“The coach (Lionel Scaloni) will decide whether I play or not, or how long I play,” Messi said. “I feel good and happy to be a part of a team that always competes and never lets up no matter who the opponent is.”
Missed penalty ‘had some impact on us’
Messi’s night started in frustrating fashion as he missed a sixth-minute penalty. He admitted the setback disrupted Argentina’s rhythm.Messi said the missed chances affected the team “a little bit”.“We missed two or three clear opportunities,” he said. “We controlled the game but the ball just wasn’t going in. Then we managed to recover and play very intense, very fast football.”“The team competes and competes well. We can play better, we can play worse, but there is no doubt that we will play every game the same way no matter who the opponent is,” he added.This brace also made Messi the second player after Klose to score four or more goals in three different World Cups, and allowed him to top the scoring list of this World Cup with five goals in two games.
