Messi Turned 39 During the World Cup: Midnight Training Session Reported

[Callum28]

Lionel Messi turned 39 years old on June 24th while the World Cup is still running. ESPN reported that his birthday involved a midnight training session rather than celebrations. That detail tells you everything about why he's still performing at this level. Five goals in two group games. All-time World Cup scoring record holder. Thirty-nine years old training at midnight before his country's final group game. Argentina face Jordan in their last group match with Messi already through to the knockout rounds. The question of whether he plays or rests against Jordan is interesting. If he plays he might add to his record. If he rests it's preparation for the matches that matter. Clarke and Scaloni will have a decision to make.

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[Isaac80]

Midnight training session on your 39th birthday at a World Cup is either the most dedicated thing you've ever heard or evidence that Messi is not entirely human

[Wizard]

Thirty-nine and five goals in two games. The age of elite footballers keeps rising and Messi keeps redefining what's possible

[Jackson77]

The rest versus play decision against Jordan is genuinely interesting. Five goals means Messi leads the Golden Boot. Does Scaloni protect him for the knockouts or let him run?

[FairDos72]

Ronaldo is 41 and also still scoring at a World Cup. The two greatest players of their generation are both defying physical expectations simultaneously

[Donna]

Argentina's squad depth means they could rest Messi against Jordan and still win comfortably. Fresh Messi in the Round of 32 is the tactical argument

[Leo70]

The midnight training detail leaked presumably from someone in the camp. That someone wanted people to know how serious he is. Good PR but probably also just true

[Sandman30]

If Messi scores against Jordan he goes to six goals in the group stage. Historical comparisons to Fontaine's 1958 record then become live

[JustMartin]

Being thirty-nine at a World Cup and being the best player in the tournament is a sentence that will be quoted in sports writing for decades

[Northern Squid]

People keep talking about his age as a handicap, but maybe having nearly four decades of tactical awareness actually makes up for losing a yard of pace? He just walks around until the exact right second to kill you.

[Myles16]

Midnight training sessions on your birthday while at a World Cup sounds less like a celebration and more like a sci-fi movie about an aging cyborg keeping his circuits active. Whatever recovery routine he is using needs to be studied by science immediately.