International press hails Argentina after emphatic thrashing | OneFootball

In the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Iceland in the return of Lionel Messi, who got minutes again after the issue he had been carrying since Inter Miami, drew plenty of attention. Various media outlets around the world covered the Albiceleste’s win and highlighted that the team arrives in good form to defend the crown won in Qatar.

La Pulga came on in the 69th minute against the Europeans, and just 119 seconds later he got on the scoresheet by converting a penalty with superb finishing at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which belongs to Auburn University in Alabama. His performance did not go unnoticed. “Messi played, thus dispelling doubts over his recent hamstring issues. He scored a penalty after coming on as a substitute and appears set to be fully fit when Argentina begin the defense of their title with their Group J match against Algeria next Tuesday,” wrote the British outlet The Guardian.

From coming on to scoring: Lionel Messi made a full-blooded return to the Argentina national team

In Spain they went even further, and the newspaper As ran a forceful headline: “Messi strikes fear”. It also highlighted the assist he nearly provided to Lautaro Martínez as soon as he stepped onto the pitch, which led to the penalty. It also pointed to his involvement in the move for Thiago Almada’s third goal, after a brilliant team play.

Spain’s As highlighted Argentina’s strength with Messi as its standard-bearer

The French outlet also echoed Messi’s performance against Iceland

In France, the newspaper L’Equipe, very critical of him during his time at PSG, stressed that the Rosario-born star had a decisive return and that “with his introduction from the bench, Argentina easily beat Iceland in its final warm-up match before the World Cup.” Meanwhile, LeParisien referred to a “triumphal” return for Messi ahead of the World Cup, and presented Argentina as one of the contenders thanks to its star man.

Lastly, Mundo Deportivo highlighted his record: “In 20 minutes, with one assist and a goal that was much more than his 117th strike in 199 matches for the Albiceleste. It was the goal that made him the oldest scorer in the history of the national team at 38 years, 11 months and 14 days old, surpassing the legendary Ángel Labruna.” Even in Brazil they praised the No. 10. “He scored Argentina’s second goal from the penalty spot, started the move for the third, scored by Thiago Almada, and showed his skill, in addition to his well-known talent, in every involvement,” reported Globo Esporte.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.