Ferdinand: 'Messi plays almost a god'

"With what Messi has done in this match, he is almost a god," Ferdinand told the BBC after the match on the evening of December 3. "Look at the reaction of the audience every time Messi touches the ball. I also jumped up and shouted until my voice was hoarse for him. Obviously Messi played a much better game than any other player in the World. Cup 2022".

According to Ferdinand, normal players when playing often keep their heads on the ground looking at the ball, without looking around. And Messi just dribbled past him and discovered that his teammates were running and the opponent was standing. "Messi's vision is unbelievable," the former England defender added.

Messi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 35th minute with a shot through three Australian defenders in the penalty area, marking the first goal in the knockout round of the World Cup in the 1000th game of his career. He also created 4 chances for teammates to finish, such as the pass to clear the ground for striker Lautaro Martinez at the end of the game.

Until Messi scored, player Alan Shearer said that the Argentine captain "did not catch the ball well and seemed to lose his form". But after the game, Shearer said: "We are very lucky to be on the field of Ahmad bin Ali today to see Messi perform. The way Messi creates space for himself to receive the ball in the goal is really amazing. I haven't yet. I don't see any player who can do things like Messi, except perhaps Diego Maradona."

Messi's performance was applauded by the Ahmad bin Ali stadium audience. "Every time he touches the ball, the spectators stand up to see it better," added Shearer. "This is Messi's last World Cup and it's clear to us how well he enjoys the game."

Argentina will meet the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on December 9 at Lusail Stadium. This is the fifth time the two teams have met in the World Cup. In the previous four games, each team won two and lost two. In the last seven times, Argentina has only reached the semi-finals once, in 2014, when they lost 0-1 to Germany in the final in Brazil.