Lionel Messi’s teammates pen emotional message to Argentina captain on 39th birthday | OneFootball

What do you get Lionel Messi for his birthday? The Argentina legend has a glittering cabinet or five, packed with awards and accolades, not to mention generational wealth.

But as he brought up his 39th birthday, at the World Cup 2026 no less, the defending champions, who have already qualified for the knockout stage, with their captain now the tournament's career scoring leader, celebrated his big day.

Messi enjoyed a party at his country’s training base in Kansas City, Missouri, with his sixth World Cup, enjoying a collection of gifts and a tribute handed out to all his teammates.

Messi has scored all of Argentina's goals so far: three in its opening win over Algeria and two more in its victory over Austria. He has 18 for his World Cup career, two better than Miroslav Klose and Kylian Mbappé.

On social media, Messi shared a photo of himself with a cake, alongside some of his teammates. The cake was from Pan Caliente, a Kansas City bakery owned by an Argentine pastry chef.

In another picture, Argentina players posed alongside Messi, all wearing T-shirts featuring a personal photo of themselves with the captain.

Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, trains with teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament (AP)

“To the man who changed our lives, gave us unforgettable moments, and made us believe that dreams are possible... The best part wasn’t just seeing it — it was living it with you! Happy birthday, Captain; we love you. May you be immensely happy,” the T-shirts read, according to a social media post by forward Julián Álvarez.

FIFA, his club Inter Miami and his former club Barcelona were among those sending birthday wishes to Messi.

In his hometown of Rosario, around 5,000 kids from local schools sang “Happy Birthday,” and a few even brought cakes.