Argentina Coach Doesn't Hold Back on Lionel Messi's Age

Lionel Messi turned 39 years old during this World Cup, but his head coach doesn’t think he’s lost a step.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni made it clear Messi is still the best player in the world and will remain the best played in the world “as long as he still has the desire,” according to Scaloni.

“Leo runs pretty much the same amount he always has. It’s not that he’s running significantly more or less. The difference is that now everything he does is much more decisive,” Scaloni said.

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“Maybe it surprises people who don’t know him, who expected that at 39 he wouldn’t still be at this level. I’ve said it many times: As long as he wants to keep playing, he’ll be the best. That’s what I believe. Not because I’m his coach. As long as he still has the desire, he’ll remain the best,” he added.

Messi has scored 15 goals with four assists from 36 chances created over the last two World Cups and currently sits tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe with eight goals in the tournament thus far.

He’ll have the chance to retake his scoring lead when Argentina faces off against Switzerland on Saturday night. The game kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox with streaming options on Telemundo and Fox One.

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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 11:28 AM.