Lionel Messi declared that he is ‘running on fumes’ and finding it ‘hard to think’ after his extraordinary World Cup continued with two more goals against Austria.
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, already looks on track to win the tournament’s Golden Boot after a 2-0 win in which he also missed a penalty and could have scored a hat-trick.
He said: ‘I’m tired, I’m running on fumes, and it’s hard to think. I’m enjoying this moment and looking forward to being with my team-mates.’
He said of his start to the tournament, with lowly Jordan up next: ‘It’s been spectacular how it all unfolded. Today I had the penalty, which could have increased my tally or not; perhaps the others wouldn’t have come, you never know. I’m happy with the team.’
His manager Lionel Scaloni seemed lost for superlatives when asked about the captain. ‘I have no more words to say about Leo. It makes us tired!’ he said.
Austria presented a tougher challenge to the world champions than Algeria had, with a possession-based pressing game. But their manager Ralf Rangnick was resigned to Messi having been unplayable.
Lionel Messi joked that he is ‘running on fumes’ after breaking the World Cup scoring record
He said: ‘If someone is 39 years old and can score two goals and five overall, then that makes a difference. We knew he was on a level of his own and Messi showed us he is one of the best, he is the best. This is Lionel Messi. He doesn’t need many situations to decide a match.’
In his own press conference, Scaloni found himself answering for why the team’s performance had not lived up to the earlier win against Algeria, despite a perfect start.
‘We had creative difficulties,’ he said. ‘We didn’t have possession. We know how to suffer as a team. When you do not have the ball you have to defend there is no other way. And when you have the ball, you have to make passes and if you can’t do that, you have to find a solution and we do that.’
He said that the penalty Messi put wide of the post had been a blow. ‘There were a few minutes where they needed to rebalance. When Leo becomes activated, everyone activates.’
Rangnick was frustrated with Patrick Wimmer missing a headed chance at the end of the game. ‘The result should have been 1-0 or 1-1 if Wimmer had headed the ball not the net, he said. He was also unhappy with the penalty Argentina were awarded. Asked if Argentina could win the World Cup, he said: ‘Of course.’
Centre half Licha Martínez said of Messi: ‘There are no words. We can only enjoy it. He’s alone at the top. I’m speechless. I feel an enormous emotion that he’s Argentinian.’
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