Lionel Messi continues to solidify his status as the greatest footballer in history during the 2026 World Cup. As the Argentina captain, he has once again guided the defending champions into the latter stages of the tournament. During a dramatic victory against Egypt in the round of 16, Messi delivered a spectacular performance, erasing a two-goal deficit with a goal and an assist. In doing so, he set a record as the oldest player to record both a goal and an assist in a single World Cup match.
However, despite his individual brilliance, Messi has struggled significantly from the penalty spot. He missed a spot-kick against Egypt and another earlier against Austria, marking the first time in World Cup history a player has missed two penalties in normal time at a single tournament. Statistically, his conversion rate is lower than other elite forwards like Harry Kane or Kylian Mbappé. While Messi excels at improvisation in open play, his tendency to wait for goalkeepers to move during penalties has become less effective as keepers rely on advanced data analysis.
The dilemma for coach Lionel Scaloni is complex. While teammates like Leandro Paredes and Enzo Fernández boast higher penalty conversion rates, telling a legendary figure like Messi to step aside is an immense challenge. Despite the misses, Scaloni has maintained that the responsibility remains with Messi if he desires it. With the tournament progressing into tighter stages, the question persists whether Argentina should assign penalty duties to a more consistent specialist to ensure they do not suffer from future misses.
