A shaky Lionel Messi waited for the ball on the side of the halfway line for almost two minutes at the 70-minute mark of Tuesday's semi-final match against Croatia. Once he had the ball, he began to run alongside centre back Josko Gvardiol and had already reached the edge of the box when he looked back and saw the 20-year-old defender catching him. Messi appeared to be turning around as he approached the byline, but instead turned again, accelerated, and gained the key yards that allowed him to pass Gvardiol in his wake. Messi used his right foot to cross the ball to Julian Alvarez, who was the recipient of yet another brilliant move from the Argentinean forward, securing Argentina's spot in the World Cup final against France on Sunday.
One of the main reasons Messi's career has reached heights no one has ever attained is that he consistently makes the right decisions. This is also why he now takes so many breaks during games. He is a player of moments in a World Cup of moments now more than ever at the age of 35. The right man for the job.
You could feel the magnitude of the moment as he directed the Argentina supporters from the centre of the field, much like he directs play there. The player who has nearly won everything now has one final opportunity to win the largest award. The final match between challengers Argentina and defending champions France on Sunday could be the completion of Argentinian Captain’s Quest.