By the numbers, there’s simply no matching Lionel Messi.
Hours before the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored twice in Argentina’s 4-1 friendly win against Guatemala on Friday night, the No. 10 Messi jerseys circling Commanders Field were legion. While the fans’ shirts encompassed his career, from the FC Barcelona kit he donned at his prolific peak to the Inter Miami jersey he now wears while bossing MLS, most were the blue-and-white stripes Messi has long sported on the international stage.
Although Argentina boasts a squad stacked with World Cup-winning standouts and a storied legacy of past stars, you wouldn’t know it by strolling around Commanders Field on Friday.