Also known as: the genius No10
Argentine footballer who played in the 2026 World Cup final at age 39, losing to Spain 1-0 and narrowing his World Cup legacy to eight goals across the tournament.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… Argentina’s Lionel Messi leads the tournament’s Golden Boot race with eight goals, and has already made history several times over the weeks. …
Justin Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira and BTS for Fifa World Cup final half-time showThe Ghanaian Times
… But they looked panic-stricken when Argentina captain Lionel Messi who else? made it 2-2 four minutes later. …
Egypt fume at injustice, makes Messi favouritism claims after exitThe Chronicle
… Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who could be playing in his final World Cup, set up their first goal in the 79th minute and scored an 83rd-minute equaliser. …
Egypt want officials kicked out of World CupThe Chronicle
… Mbappe With his winning goal against Paraguay, France skipper Mbappe moved onto seven for the tournament – level with Lionel Messi (now has eight) and Erling Haaland in a star-studded Golden Boot race – and he will wear the armband once again. …
France and Morocco lock horns in World Cup semi-finalJoy Online
… Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who could be playing in his final World Cup, set up their first goal in the 79th minute and scored an 83rd-minute equaliser. …
Egypt want officials kicked out of World CupJoy Online
… Argentina’s Lionel Messi leads the tournament’s Golden Boot race with eight goals and has already made history several times over the past few weeks. …
Justin Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira and BTS for Fifa World Cup final half-time showJoy Online
… Switzerland have now won two knockout games in the World Cup for the first time, having beaten Algeria in the last 32, and now have a chance to stop Lionel Messi and Argentina’s run to back-to-back World Cup glory. …
Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties to reach quarter-finalsJoy Online
… But Cristian Romero halved the deficit 11 minutes from time before Lionel Messi – who had missed a first-half penalty in Atlanta – equalised five minutes later and set up a nail-biting finish. …
Argentina complete extraordinary comeback to beat EgyptDaily Guide
… The strike also took the French captain to seven goals in the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. …
Mbappé Penalty Sends France Into World Cup Quarter-FinalsThe Chronicle
… Mbappe’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals. …
Mbappe draws level with Messi as France beat ParaguayLionel Messi, thirty-nine, played his final World Cup as Argentina lost the 2026 final one-nil to Spain. Despite the loss, Messi's World Cup legacy remains marked by moments of brilliance across a decades-long tournament presence.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Lionel Messi, thirty-nine, played his final World Cup as Argentina lost the 2026 final one-nil to Spain. Despite the loss, Messi's World Cup legacy remains marked by moments of brilliance across a decades-long tournament presence.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Ugandan dance group Ghetto Kids appeared at the football World Cup final half-time show alongside Burna Boy and Shakira, performing in the game between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The young dancers, who come from humble beginnings in Kampala, described the experience as life-changing.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Major League Soccer is investigating allegations of tampering by Inter Miami after the club signed 34-year-old Brazil midfielder Casemiro from Manchester United on a deal running to the end of 2027, with an option to extend until June 2029. The investigation concerns Inter Miami's acquisition of Casemiro's discovery rights from LA Galaxy, an MLS regulation that gives a specific club first refusal over a player.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Kylian Mbappe won the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot after scoring 10 goals, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's eight. The Real Madrid forward is now the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals across three tournaments.
21 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory over holders Argentina in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, ending Lionel Messi's bid for a second World Cup title in what was likely his final appearance in the tournament.
21 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Lionel Messi said "the pain is immense" and that it "will take time to heal" after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the World Cup final, with Ferran Torres scoring in extra time. Messi has now lost two World Cup finals, and at 39 years old is unlikely to feature at the 2030 tournament.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
During the World Cup in the US, former England captain David Beckham has dominated off-the-pitch marketing, fronting advertising campaigns for 11 brands including McDonald's, Major League Soccer, and Bank of America. Marketing experts attribute his prominence to his broad appeal across demographics and his authentic, down-to-earth persona that translates across football, fashion, entertainment, and business.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Lamine Yamal helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final. At 19, he became the youngest player ever to win both the European Championship and the World Cup. His three-year-old brother Keyne drew significant attention on social media for his joyful celebrations during the match.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Spain teenager Lamine Yamal, 19 years and six days, has won both the World Cup and Euros, making him the youngest player to achieve the double. The article compares his symbolic embrace with Lionel Messi at the World Cup final to a passing of the torch, noting Yamal recovered from a hamstring injury to play a key role in Spain's tournament run.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals in eight games, becoming the first player to win the award twice and extending his men's World Cup all-time top scorer record to 22 goals.
19 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Spain defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring in the 106th minute. The victory gave Spain their second World Cup title and first since 2010, with Argentina finishing the match down to 10 men after Enzo Fernández's red card.
19 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The White House defended Argentina's football team after they displayed a banner supporting their territorial claim to the Falkland Islands during their World Cup semi-final win against England, citing free speech protections; the UK's Downing Street called for Fifa to investigate the incident and reaffirmed British commitment to the Falklands.
17 July 2026 · Joy Online →
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach; Argentina scored twice in the final minutes through Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to eliminate England. England had only 12% possession after taking the lead and introduced defenders rather than forwards.
17 July 2026 · The Chronicle →
England led 1-0 against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final but conceded two goals in the 85th and 92nd minutes after manager Thomas Tuchel switched to a defensive approach, with the team holding only 12% possession after taking the lead. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez noted the momentum shift as England brought on defensive players rather than pushing forward.
17 July 2026 · The Chronicle →
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal will meet on the pitch for the first time when Argentina play Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, though the two crossed paths in 2007 when Messi was a 20-year-old Barcelona starter and Yamal was just five months old — a meeting documented in photographs that resurfaced after Yamal helped Spain win Euro 2024.
17 July 2026 · The Chronicle →
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, who will face each other in Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, first met in 2007 when Messi held a five-month-old Yamal in a photograph taken at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium after his family won a competition to visit the away dressing room.
17 July 2026 · The Chronicle →
Lionel Messi set up two goals in the dying minutes of Argentina's World Cup semifinal against England, securing a 2-1 victory and a spot in the final against Spain. Messi said the fans wanted this victory more than any other because of what it means to face England in a semifinal and reach another World Cup final.
17 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Lionel Messi set up two goals in the final moments of Argentina's 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory over England to reach the final against Spain on Sunday. Messi said the win was especially significant to Argentina's fans because of the historic rivalry between the nations.
17 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Nine of Africa's 10 representatives in the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament progressed from the group stage, but all were eliminated in the knockout rounds, with several losing in the closing minutes of matches. This marked the continent's strongest group-stage performance yet, but ended in disappointment as African teams failed to advance further.
17 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Nine of ten African teams advanced from group stage at the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament, but one after another suffered elimination in closing moments of knockout matches, with goals conceded in the 86th, 89th, 92nd, 93rd minutes and extra time. Only Tunisia failed to advance from the group stage.
17 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
A shirt worn by Pele during the 1958 World Cup final sold for $4.9m at Sotheby's in New York, making it the second most valuable football jersey ever sold after Diego Maradona's 1986 World Cup shirt.
16 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Jude Bellingham slapped Argentina substitute Valentin Barco on the back of the head after England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat. Bellingham could face Fifa disciplinary action for the incident, though it may be considered petulant rather than violent conduct.
16 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Jude Bellingham slapped Argentina substitute Valentin Barco on the back of the head following England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final loss. Bellingham could face FIFA disciplinary action for violent conduct, though the governing body may view the act as petulant rather than violent.
16 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Argentina's players celebrated their 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory over England with a banner claiming the Falkland Islands as Argentine territory, risking a FIFA fine for breaching rules on political action. FIFA previously fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 in 2014 for a similar banner displayed before a friendly match.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Argentina defeated England 2-1 on Wednesday to advance to the World Cup final against Spain, with substitute Lautaro Martinez scoring the stoppage-time winner after Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute. Lionel Messi provided the assist for the equalizer and cross for the winning goal, with Anthony Gordon having given England an early lead in the 55th minute.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Former Hearts of Oak boss Mas-Ud Didi Dramani provides a tactical breakdown of England and Argentina's strategies ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, with the winner to face Spain in the final.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Enrique Macaya Marquez, an Argentine broadcaster aged 91, is covering his 18th consecutive World Cup after beginning his career at the 1958 tournament in Sweden. Over nearly seven decades, he has reported on Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and many other players while witnessing football transform through technological and structural changes.
15 July 2026 · Joy Online →
England bid to end Lionel Messi's dream of winning back-to-back World Cups and reach their first final in six decades as they face holders Argentina in a World Cup semifinal. The match marks the first competitive meeting between the sides since 2002 and the first time Messi has ever played against England.
15 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored in extra time as Argentina defeated Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals. Argentina will face England in the semi-final at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday.
12 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the World Cup and Ousmane Dembele added a second as France defeated Morocco to advance to the semi-finals, with Mbappe now level with Lionel Messi's tournament tally.
9 July 2026 · Joy Online →