Argentina's national football team players honoured Lionel Messi on his 39th birthday by wearing special personalised shirts featuring photos of themselves with the legendary captain. The gesture took place on Wednesday, June 24, as confirmed by ESPN FC via its X handle.
Birthday celebrations within the squad
Messi turned 39 on Wednesday, marking a new chapter in his illustrious career. The personalised shirts underscored the deep admiration and respect that Messi commands within the Argentina squad. The Argentina Football Association (AFA) also extended birthday wishes to their captain, as well as to team chefs Diego Lacovone and Antonia Farias, who share the same birth date as Messi.
"Happy birthday to our Captain Leo Messi and our chefs Diego Iacovone and Antonia Farias! May they always be happy," the AFA wrote in a post on X.
Messi's World Cup heroics
Born on June 24, 1987, at the Italian Hospital Garibaldi in Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi continues to perform at the peak of his career. He remains a central figure for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, where he has set new records and strengthened a legacy spanning generations. Messi has led Argentina to convincing victories in both of their matches so far, scoring all five goals in those wins.
Argentina began their World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria, with Messi scoring a hat-trick to power the victory. In the second match, against Austria, Messi scored a record-breaking brace to guide the defending champions to a 2-0 win. With that brace, Messi not only secured victory but also rewrote the record books by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose.
Record-breaking achievements
Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute against Austria to move past Klose's tally of 16 goals, and later added another in stoppage time to take his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, two ahead of the German legend. The 39-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, equalling the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal—a mark jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.
Additionally, Messi set a new record for the most wins by a player in FIFA World Cup history, surpassing Klose's tally of 17 victories with his 18th World Cup match win.
