On the night of September 27-28, Lionel Messi only played the last 35 minutes in Argentina’s 3-0 win against Jamaica. A short appearance which still allowed him to register a double embellishing his 100th victory (out of 164 games) in selection, Tuesday in Harrison (New Jersey).
A signature on a bare chest
The Red Bull Arena, in a festive atmosphere provided by a strong colony of Argentinian supporters, only had eyes for “la Pulga”. So when the star, spared at kick-off due to flu symptoms which called coach Lionel Scaloni to caution, entered the field in the 55th minute, the fever suddenly rose.
It was then that a funny scene animated the meeting. Three fanatics ran onto the pitch towards Messi to approach him, touch him, even take a selfie. One of the three arrived shirtless, pen in hand to ask the PSG star to sign an autograph on his skin. Messi did. But he barely had time to begin his action when the applicant was tackled by three inconvenient stewards.
Messi therefore left his mark on this friendly match, which had been a little bland until then, put on the right Argentinian track by the opening of the scoring in the 13th minute by Julio Alvarez, established in place of the star. Messi first scored the second goal on his third attempt (first two in the area having found the goalkeeper) with a shot beyond the rectangle which ended up flush with the post (86th).
He also scored his 90th goal
Three minutes later, he provoked a free kick at the entrance to the surface and did himself justice, placing the ball under the jumping wall which cleared the ventilator. His 89 and 90th achievements in 164 selections. And since we are in the figures, this match is notable in that it allows him to become the fifth player in history to reach 100 victories with his national team, joining in this closed club the Spaniards Sergio Ramos (131 victories in 180 games) and Iker Casillas (121 in 167), Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (112 in 189) and Mexico’s Andres Guardado (101 in 177).
He is in a prosperous period, Argentina too
Four days after his already remarkable performance against Honduras, his double having largely contributed to the victory (3-0) of the Argentines, Messi confirms that he is going through a good period, interviewed in the jersey of PSG since the start of the season, that either in the French Championship or in the Champions League.
In the wake of his number 10, the Albiceleste brings his invincibility to 35 games (26 wins, 9 draws). A series started in 2019, which raises it to the level of Brazil (1993-1996), Spain (2007-2009) and Algeria (2018-2022), the record in this area being held by Italy (2018-2021), with 37 games. Two months before the World Cup in Qatar, where it will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in Group C, Argentina makes an appointment.