Football icons have expressed their admiration for Lionel Messi after his outstanding performance at the 2026 World Cup, where the Argentine scored a hat-trick against Algeria.
Ronaldo Nazario called Messi the undisputed GOAT and urged the world to "stop hiding" from this fact. According to the Brazilian striker, "Every time Messi steps onto the pitch, everything else becomes historic and elegant." Ronaldo also highlighted that Messi continues to impress season after season and on the world stage, despite being 38 years old, and said doubts about him are now unfounded.
Supporting this view, former Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he doesn’t believe another player like Messi will appear. "It seems like football was made for him. Everything he touches turns to gold," he told Fox. Ibrahimovic emphasized that winning another World Cup wouldn’t change Messi’s status as the greatest ever, but would simply add another trophy to his collection.
