Lionel Messi enjoying his last ride at World Cup: 'I feel very happy'

LUSAIL, Qatar — There were still around 50,000 Argentinean fans heaving with pure elation in the stands at Lusail Iconic Stadium long after Lionel Messi and the Albiceleste booked their place in the World Cup final with Tuesday’s emphatic 3-0 victory over Croatia.

Messi looked the most delighted of them all.

"I am enjoying this a lot," the 35-year-old said afterward. "I can say that I feel very happy in this whole World Cup. I am enjoying it a lot, and luckily enough I’m able to help my team and make things happen."

That’s one way of saying it.

Messi scored the all-important first goal from the penalty spot — the one Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said "took the match in a different direction" — after Julián Álvarez was fouled by opposing keeper Dominik Livaković. 

Messi was involved in the buildup before the second goal, which Álvarez poked home after a run from inside his own half and pair of fortunate bounces in the box.

And Messi, as he so often has over his otherworldly career, saved his best for last by setting up a second for Álvarez after getting goal-side of Joško Gvardiol on the right flank with a series of turns and feints and then somehow holding off the much larger Croatian center back long enough to expertly cut the ball back for the finish.

"The match from Julián Álvarez was excellent," Scaloni said. "Not only because he scored the two goals, but also because he was extremely helpful [defensively] with the midfielders."

It’s true that it was a total team performance. 

Unlike its shootout win over the Netherlands in the round of 16, which Argentina was winning 2-0 before the Dutch pulled back two late goals, Scaloni’s team was in total control once they took the lead and never gave the Croatians any chance to recover.

"This is a very intelligent and wise squad," Messi said. "We know how to read the game in every moment. We know how to suffer when it is necessary, to have the ball when it's needed, to press, to make recovery runs. And we have an excellent technical staff. They know what they’re doing. … This is a great help for us when we are on the pitch, because we are not lost."

Still, as always, Messi was the man of the match, the star of the show. And with five goals in six outings here, he is now tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé atop the Golden Boot race at Qatar 2022. But the only hardware Messi cares about is on the line Sunday, when Argentina will meet either Mbappé and the defending champions or Cinderella Morocco. Those two sides play Wednesday in the other semifinal (2 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app).

A win this weekend would once and for all end any questions about Messi’s status as the best player ever. However, most — including his manager — believe that title already belongs to him.

"I don’t have any doubt," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said when asked if Messi’s performance at this World Cup confirms him as the GOAT. 

"Whether Messi is the greatest player of all time, sometimes as Argentinians it could look like, of course, we say that because we are Argentinians. And maybe we are biased," he said. "It's something that you say as an Argentinian, but I don't have any doubt. I've been saying this for a long time.

"I am honored to be able to coach him, to see him play," Scaloni continued. "It is something exciting because every time you see him play, it's a huge source of motivation for his teammates, for the people of Argentina, and for the whole world. So there is nothing left to say about Messi. It is privilege to have him in this squad." 

Now it’s all about taking the final step. Argentina shockingly lost its group-stage opener in Qatar to Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about its ability to compete for the title and simultaneously raising the stakes for every subsequent contest.

"The first game was a hard blow for all of us because we had been unbeaten in 26 matches," Messi said. "To start in such a way in a World Cup was a really hard luck. We didn't think that we would lose against Saudi Arabia. It was an acid test for this whole squad.

"But again, this squad proved how strong we are," Messi added. "Every match was a final for us. We were aware that if we didn't win, then things would be more complicated for us. We have played five finals, and luckily enough we were able to win all five. And I hope this will be the same way for the final game."

Read more from the World Cup:

• Argentina vs. Croatia highlights: Messi, Argentina roll into final, 3-0
• World Cup Daily: Argentina awaits final opponent
• Lionel Messi pushes Argentina past Croatia and into World Cup final
• Lionel Messi's World Cup résumé stands apart as he reaches second final
• Argentina sings Messi's name after World Cup final breakthrough
• Croatia should return to World Cup contention, even without Luka Modrić
• World Cup Now: Messi shows greatness in Argentina's triumph
• An angry Lionel Messi is good for Argentina — and scary for opponents
• World Cup 2022 odds: Kylian Mbappé favorite to win Golden Boot, Golden Ball
• Golden Boot Race Tracker: World Cup 2022 top goal scorers
• In the Gio Reyna-Team USA World Cup controversy, there are no winners
• France preaching focus as it nears World Cup repeat, but confidence abounds
• Morocco makes history as first African team to reach World Cup semis
• France looks poised to become only third back-to-back World Cup champion
• Women's World Cup 2023: Five reasons to get excited right now

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Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.