Magic Messi joins Neymar on his perch: how Stats Zone saw Nigeria 2-3 Argentina

It's good to see that Lionel Messi has finally turned up to a World Cup, eh? Before that we were wondering whether the Barcelona dribble king was worth the fuss; before the tournament he'd netted as many goals in this competition as Gary Breen. Disgusting.

Well it's a good job those people are considered idiots. Because little Lionel lit up Porto Alegre's Estádio Beira-Rio on Wednesday, lashing home a third-minute drive from a rebound before sticking in a sensational free-kick on the stroke of half-time.

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Joe Brewin

Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen through the FFT academy and been on the brand since 2013 in various capacities. 


By weekend and frustrating midweek night he is a Leicester City fan, and in 2020 co-wrote the autobiography of former Foxes winger Matt Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Hill Sports Book of the Year awards.