Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has hailed Lionel Messi’s masterclass and brace against Austria in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The player widely regarded as the greatest of all time pounced late in the first half in Texas on Monday with a trademark left-footed finish after neat build-up play.
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The predatory goal added to his hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match to make it 17 in total at World Cups.
The 38-year-old then sealed the match deep in injury time after a scramble in the box, as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.
Reacting after the game, Troost-Ekong, who was a guest on SuperSport’s World Cup coverage, described Messi as an unstoppable player of different quality.
“Messi was very convincing against Austria today, He was the youngest goal scorer and now the oldest goal scorer at the World Cup. He keeps breaking record at the tournament.
“He also showed the human side of him when he missed the penalty. But then, Messi has showed that he’s Messi.”
The former Watford defender also defended the referee’s decision to award Argentina a penalty in the first half.
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“The moment Argentina began to impress. You see there is a tackle. It is pretty clear that there is a touch on [Lautaro] Martinez. The question was just whether it was before or after he got something on the ball. I think it was a simple decision by the referee, it just took a long time to get there.
“As a captain, you also see [David] Alaba trying to have a conversation with him and that’s the role of the captain. You have the right to speak to the referee but sometimes it could be very dismissive of that and it can be very frustrating when you are on the pitch.”
