Leo Messi, from 13 to 39, from conguitos to ice baths | OneFootball

At 39, Leo Messi continues to confound defenders and set the tempo for Argentina, tomorrow he will face Switzerland for a place in another World Cup semi-final. El Periódico Mediterráneo writes that the marvel lies in him still doing it.

He arrived in Barcelona with his parents on 17 September 2000, aged 13, and became the idol of a country, a city, a club, a stadium and its fans. He left in tears, the president Joan Laporta did not want him.

The La Masia teen who munched conguitos and played PlayStation embraced nutrition, preparation and rest under Pep Guardiola. He received growth hormone treatment and finished at 1.68 or 1.70 metres. He had thought Qatar 2022 would be his last World Cup, yet he is here again, and he dislikes the D10S tag because of his children.

Data says Messi runs 6.8 kilometres a game, far fewer than Kane’s 11.5, Vinicius Júnior’s 10 or Mbappé’s 9.7, with 4,000 metres walked. For Juanjo Brau, his football is cognitive, he scans before receiving, bursts off explosive type 2B fibres, then walks to reload, running only for the right balls.

At the start of 2026 he worked with Rodrigo de Paul and a conditioning team to sharpen up, swapping conguitos for ice baths. Nutritionist Ismael Galancho notes a top speed of 30.9 km/h at this World Cup, up from 29 km/h in 2022, a 5% rise credited to meticulous training, recovery, rest and load management.

He has eight goals already, edging towards Just Fontaine’s 13 from 1958. Johan Cruyff’s idea that speed is anticipation fits Messi. Thierry Henry recalls him answering an unawarded foul in training by dribbling through team-mates to score, then telling the stand-in referee to give it next time.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo