Messi is inevitable

Lionel Messi turned 39 during the course of this World Cup. Yet the things he has done, the numbers he has produced, and the sheer excellence he has displayed in North America continue to defy age and time.

Every time Argentina needed rescuing in a do-or-die situation, Messi was there.

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In the early stages of the tournament, Messi looked like the man Argentina turned to whenever they needed a goal. The record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner became the only player to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches, including the first five of this edition.

As the tournament progressed, however, Messi reinvented himself as more of a creator. It was as if he knew he not only had to dictate proceedings himself, but also had to elevate those around him when the stakes were at their highest.

The latest chapter of Messi magic unfolded in the semifinal against England in Atlanta yesterday.

Messi attempted just one shot throughout the game. Yet he was the man who turned the tie on its head, setting up both Enzo Fernandez and substitute Lautaro Martinez late on as Argentina came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory and reach a second successive World Cup final.

"He is just different," former England defender-turned-pundit Rio Ferdinand said, perhaps finding the simplest way to describe the inexplicable phenomenon that is Messi.

"This is a guy who's at the end of his career, who's 39 years old. Messi could play in the next World Cup as a holding midfielder or as a number eight easily, and still be one of the best players in the world," Ferdinand added.

Messi's inch-perfect cross that left Lautaro with one of the simplest headers of his career only strengthened Ferdinand's claim that the Argentine could still be his country's main man four years from now.

As he has so often done in high-pressure situations in this World Cup, Messi drifted towards the right flank in the closing stages yesterday, looking to deliver crosses into the box. Although he had already picked out teammates with several dangerous deliveries with his magical left foot, few expected his finest ball of the night to come with his weaker one.

After skipping past an England defender, Messi nudged the ball onto his right before pinning in a cross that sailed beyond three towering English defenders and dropped perfectly onto Lautaro's head in the 92nd minute. The pressure of the clock and the magnitude of a World Cup semifinal seemed irrelevant to him.

Messi has now scored or assisted in 11 consecutive World Cup appearances, extending the longest such run by any player since records began in 1966.

With his two assists against England, he now has 12 World Cup assists, 10 of them in knockout matches. No other player on record has more than eight overall.

But for a footballer who has spent his career bending the game to his will, they are merely numbers -- numbers that will inevitably grow the next time he steps onto the pitch.

After the final whistle against England, Messi spent much of Argentina's on-field celebrations as a quiet observer, sitting on one side of the pitch while watching his teammates savour the moment from a short distance.

Yet when the moment demands it again during a match, everyone in Argentina knows exactly who will be at the heart of it all. Whether it is a moment of brilliance or a timely rescue act, Messi always seems to find a way.

That is why in Monday's all-important final, Spain should be wary of facing this Argentina side, marshalled by the man who, even at 39, continues to prove that he is simply inevitable.