At 39 years, Lionel Messi He remains Argentina's decisive player. The Albiceleste captain has scored 8 goals in 6 matches in this 2026 World Cup and shares the top spot in the goalscoring charts before... the semi-final against England, played this Wednesday at 21 p.m. in Atlanta.
The Inter Miami star played another 120 minutes in the quarter-final victory against Switzerland, which they won 3-1 after extra time. Closely marked by the Swiss defenders, he found less space than in previous rounds, but he remained sharp enough to create a final chance in stoppage time. His shot went just wide of the post in the 92nd minute.
A maximum speed measured at 30,9 km/h
Ismael Galancho, Lionel Messi's personal nutritionist and a specialist in physical preparation linked to nutrition, has revealed several data points that allow us to measure the player's condition. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, his top speed was recorded at 29,38 km/h. Four years later, he has reached 30,9 km/h since the start of the competition, an increase of more than 5% according to figures released by his entourage.
The comparison is all the more striking given that top speed normally decreases with age. Between 2009 and 2015, at the peak of his European career, Messi generally averaged between 32,5 and 33,5 km/h, with occasional bursts close to 34 km/h. He is therefore slightly below his best years, but the observed decrease is much less significant than that typically seen after age 35.
Ismael Galancho summarizes the result obtained as follows: "He is literally in better physical shape at this World Cup than at the previous one, even though four years have passed." The nutritionist did not detail the entire program put in place, but he highlighted the player's work and discipline over the past few years.
Three months of double training with Rodrigo De Paul
Lionel Messi began preparing for the World Cup as soon as MLS resumed at the end of February. For three months, he doubled his training days with Rodrigo De Paul, his teammate at Inter Miami and on the Argentinian national team. After the club's team training sessions, the two players had a daily personalized session with a personal trainer. The program focused on strength training, power, and intensity. The workload was gradually adjusted to allow them to reach peak form at the start of the World Cup. The results were already visible before the tournament. During May, Messi scored five goals and provided seven assists for Inter Miami. De Paul scored two goals and provided two assists during the same period. However, muscle fatigue forced the Argentinian captain to take a few days off at the end of May. He then resumed training without pain before the start of the competition.
A very precise management of his races
Messi no longer runs the same way he did at 25. He limits his defensive tracking back, participates little in the constant press, and spends a large part of matches at a slower pace. This economy of movement allows him to conserve his explosiveness for attacking plays. Against Switzerland, he covered 6,655 meters at a speed of less than 7 km/h, representing 64,8% of his total distance. No other player on the pitch covered that much ground in that category. He still produced the equivalent of 85 sprints in 90 minutes, more than Erling Haaland did in his quarter-final match and only twelve shy of Kylian Mbappé.
His top speed of 30,9 km/h surpasses the best speeds recorded in this competition by several much younger Argentinian teammates, including Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister. It also remains close to the performances of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, England's two main attacking players.
Messi especially chooses the moments when he accelerates. Since the start of the tournament, no player has finished as many dribbles of at least five meters with a shot or a pass that creates a scoring opportunity. The Argentinian has a total of 22 such actions. His seemingly low activity off the ball therefore masks an undiminished ability to suddenly increase his pace when space opens up.
A completely transformed lifestyle
Lionel Messi's longevity also stems from a profound change in his diet. During the early years of his career, the Argentinian regularly consumed pizzas, hot dogs, sodas, and large quantities of red meat. Recurring muscle injuries and stomach problems led him to change his habits about fifteen years ago. Since then, he has followed a much more controlled diet and a daily routine based on sleep, strength training, and muscle activation.
8 goals before facing England
This preparation allowed him to maintain his effectiveness throughout the tournament. With eight goals, Messi remains Argentina's top scorer and one of England's main threats. Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that his team wouldn't be able to neutralize him for the entire match. The England manager even explained that he considered man-marking before exploring other options. In Atlanta, Lionel Messi will play his first ever international match against England. The winner will face Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19, in New Jersey.
