Lionel Messi

Analysis: Messi came off the bench in the second half of Saturday's 3-1 win over Jordan and immediately made his presence felt, curling a free-kick into the bottom corner from range with 10 minutes remaining to make it 3-1 and extend his own all-time World Cup scoring record to 19 goals, also registering two further shots (one on target), three crosses (one accurate) and two chances created across his 30 minutes. The forward now has six goals in three group games at this World Cup and heads into the round of 32 against Cape Verde having scored in a record seven consecutive World Cup matches, a record no player in the history of the competition has ever matched.

Jun 26, 2026

Will be substitute against Jordan

Messi will start on the bench to face Jordan on Saturday, according to manager Lionel Scaloni. "Leo will be a substitute tomorrow."

Analysis: Messi will not be in the starting XI for Argentina on Saturday, as the attacker will instead start on the bench. This is only a cautious move to prevent any unnecessary knocks and not due to an injury, preserving him for the knockout stages. He could still see time later in the match to stay fresh or help them pull out a result, although it would likely be smarter to let him rest as they look to make it back-to-back World Cup titles.