Lionel Messi and World Cup champions Argentina take on Austria in Dallas on Monday as the Argentina star needs one more goal to rewrite the record books.
Ahead of the match, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said that “there are no easy games” at the World Cup and listed the new water breaks as one of the things that make things more difficult.
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, equaled Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 World Cup goals when he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria.
The Argentina captain broke down in tears after his first goal, and it was later revealed that his father was recovering from an undisclosed health problem.
Despite his personal pain and difficult recovery due to a hamstring injury, Messi’s presence seems to inspire his teammates.
“If anyone thought this group was better without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important,” midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said after the win over Algeria.
