Mbappe threatens Messi's record.

After surpassing Miroslav Klose to set the record for most goals in World Cup history, Lionel Messi will embark on a journey to defend his title against the formidable onslaught of Mbappe.

M. ESSI DESERVES TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY

Ahead of Argentina's match against Austria on the morning of June 23rd (Vietnam time), former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez wrote an analysis of Messi's career and extraordinary qualities. In it, he commented that his teammate "has almost surpassed the limits of human potential."

At 39 years old, Ronaldo "the Fat" (Ronaldo De Lima) had retired four years prior and weighed over 100 kg. At that age, most players have already retired, or if still playing, it's only to enjoy their final years. But Messi, at 39, still carries the entire Argentina team on his shoulders. The superstar wearing the number 10 shirt shone with a brace against Austria, bringing his total goals in the World Cup to 18, surpassing Klose's record by two goals.

Mbappe is now only two goals behind Messi.

PHOTO: REUTERS

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One noteworthy detail: Messi scored all five of Argentina's goals in their first two matches. He scored more goals than… 30 teams in this year's World Cup, counting only those that have played two matches. This includes title contenders like Spain and Brazil.

Records alone are insufficient to describe Messi's greatness. The number 10 superstar is the creative mastermind and ball distributor for Argentina. He runs little, but is always present in key areas; he touches the ball infrequently, but with exceptional quality. His classy one-touch finish to open the scoring, or his incredible leap and shot through Austria's young and energetic defense in injury time of the second half, are the fruits of an intelligent style of play, where Messi knows how to conserve energy for crucial moments, where his innate talent combines with hard work, allowing him to surpass all others in the final stages of his career and affirm his timeless value.

A FORMIDABLE CHALLENGER

Messi has the potential to shatter World Cup scoring records, having already bagged 18 goals and with the possibility of scoring even more as Argentina progresses further. The Tango team faces Jordan in their final group stage match (2 AM on June 27th) and still has knockout rounds to further improve his tally.

However, maintaining the top spot is always harder than reaching it. The Argentinian genius has broken the record; now it's time to move on to a new phase: defending the top spot against the challenge of Kylian Mbappe, a striker with an even more impressive goal-scoring record.

While Messi needed 27 matches (6 tournaments) to score 18 goals, Mbappe only needed 16 matches (3 tournaments) to reach 16. When Messi made his world debut, Mbappe was an 8-year-old playing football in the streets of the Bondy slum (France). Now, the French striker is on par with his senior in the race for the record.

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The narrow two-goal lead could be closed in this tournament, because, like Messi in Argentina, Mbappe enjoys "special privileges" in the French national team. He's placed in his preferred position, set up by passers like Michael Olise, Desire Doue, and Adrien Rabiot, and is focused on scoring goals. Messi and Mbappe not only create the most exciting top scorer race in history, but will also compete for the top spot among all-time World Cup strikers. Mbappe is 11 years younger than Messi. He has at least one or two more World Cups to improve his record, while for Messi, his "dance" in the USA is probably his last.

It's only a matter of time before Mbappe surpasses Messi, but even so, Messi has had a magnificent career with nearly 60 world records and the most prestigious title with Argentina. The absence of one milestone doesn't diminish the value of his achievements. And for Mbappe, if he becomes the top scorer, it would be a well-deserved reward for the poor boy from Bondy who relentlessly rose above adversity, leading the French national team to glory.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mbappe-de-doa-ky-luc-cua-messi-185260623203806264.htm