‘We're in Miami’: Leo Messi in Red-Hot Form as Argentina Arrive for Round of 32 Battle

The Argentina team reached Miami for their round of 32 FIFA World Cup against Cabo Verde scheduled for Saturday.

Argentina has been near flawless in the tournament so far, having won all their matches, with their 39-year-old legend Lionel Messi in top form, tied with French superstar Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot with six goals each.

Posting on their official X handle, AFA posted, "#SeniorTeam We're in Miami!"

In their final league stage match against Jordan, which the defending champions won 3-1, Messi scored a brace.

Messi etched another remarkable milestone into football history by becoming the first men's player to score in seven consecutive FIFA World Cup matches.

Messi also became the fourth player to score in all three group-stage matches of a single World Cup since the format was introduced in 1998, joining Cristiano Ronaldo (2018), David Villa (2010), and Fernando Torres (2010).

Messi's record-breaking streak began with a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening Group J fixture before he followed it up with a brace against Austria.

Although rested for the start of Argentina's final group game against Jordan, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner came off the bench in the 60th minute and capped the victory with a trademark free-kick in the 80th minute, extending his unprecedented scoring sequence to seven successive World Cup appearances.

The strike also took Messi's tally to 19 FIFA World Cup goals, further extending his record as Argentina's all-time leading scorer in the tournament.

Argentina registered a 3-0 win over Algeria to start the campaign, followed by a 2-0 win over Austria and ended the league stage with a 3-1 win over Jordan.

(With inputs from ANI)