'You could literally feel how much this World Cup meant' - Cody Gakpo explains what was different about Lionel Messi during Argentina's win against Netherlands in Battle Of Lusail

Messi completed football in 2022 when he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and lifted the famous trophy for the Albiceleste for the first time since 1986. Argentina faced Gakpo's Netherlands side in the quarter-finals of the competition and won 4-3 on penalties in a bad-tempered game that featured 18 yellow cards and saw Messi clash with Louis van Gaal and striker Wout Weghorst.

Argentina's victory propelled them into a semi-final against Croatia, which they won 3-0, and then a final with France. Messi's side prevailed on penalties against Les Bleus to be crowned world champions, and Gakpo has revealed how Messi seemed different during the tournament in Qatar.

He told the Players' Tribune: "I’ll never forget playing Argentina. The Battle of Lusail. What a game. I mean, it was like Game of Thrones with all the crazy plot twists! You didn’t know what was going to happen from one minute to the next. Then just when you thought you knew how it would end….OK, let me explain.

"Let’s start with Messi. So, he usually starts the game by taking it easy, right? Scouts a little, sees where the spaces are, where he can run ... but this time, from the start, he was on. The touch, the moves, the slalom dribbles, he pulled it straight out of the bag. You could literally feel how much this World Cup meant to him. And you can imagine what we were thinking.... It’s gonna be a long day. We knew we were in for a thriller. Then he carried the ball inside, made the killer pass, and they scored. In the second half, Messi scored the penalty, and they went up 2–0."

Messi is currently leading Argentina in qualifying for World Cup 2026. The defending champions currently sit top of the CONMEBOL table, five points clear of Uruguay, ahead of March fixtures against Marcelo Bielsa's side and Brazil. It's still not known if Messi will feature at the next World Cup which will be held in North America, Canada and Mexico. Messi has hinted he has no intention of retiring any time soon but will be 39 by the time the tournament rolls around.