The missed penalty, then the goal that changes everything
That could have come back to haunt him. In the first half, Lionel Messi stepped up and sent his penalty wide. Missed. The kind of moment that can wreck a night.
But Messi is Messi. He kept going, came back for another crack, and when the chance arrived again, he didn’t blink. One goal. And not just any goal.
That was his 17th at a World Cup. The outright record. Miroslav Klose, the German who had held the mark since 2014 with 16, can move over. Messi stands alone at the top.
A career written in gold
To understand what that number means, you have to trace the road he walked. The difficult early years with Argentina, the lean stretches, the 2014 final defeat to Klose’s Germany, the long-awaited Copa America triumph, and then Qatar 2022, the crowning moment of a career. And now this, his 17th goal, pushing the limits of what once seemed possible.
At an age when most players have long since hung up their boots, Leo is still making history. Every World Cup has been another chapter. Every goal, another line in a story nobody wants to see end.
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And for bettors?
Argentina are still very much in the mix. With Messi in this form, even with that missed penalty as a reminder he’s only human, La Albiceleste deserve serious attention. The odds on Argentina lifting the trophy are worth a look, especially if Leo keeps this run going.
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