Lionel Messi will have a chance to emulate Diego Maradona in the World Cup final after they defeated Croatia 3-0 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Tuesday.

It’s been 36 years since Maradona led Argentina to their second and most recent World Cup victory in Mexico. It was the highlight of a career that was often troubled, but it was Maradona’s moment to shine.

Messi knew that this World Cup would probably be his last because he was 35 years old. He also knew that it would be his last chance to win the trophy after Argentina lost to Germany in Brazil in 2014.

Messi’s performances for Paris Saint-Germain in the months leading up to the tournament gave the impression that he was getting ready for this moment, and he has played at this World Cup like he has no more time to waste.

Messi made his first World Cup appearance as a teenager 16 years ago. Qatar has now seen him score in the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time, and he has done so in three straight games.

He scored his 11th World Cup goal on Tuesday, passing fellow Argentine Gabriel Batistuta, who had been the record holder.

He has now played in 25 World Cups, which is the same number as Lothar Matthaeus.

Messi’s game against Croatia at Lusail Stadium was typical of his later years as a player. He saves his energy and spends a lot of time on the sidelines.

Still, as captain of his country, he can still motivate his team and always looks like he can do something when the ball is at his feet.

Dominik Livakovic, who had saved the day in the last two shootouts, had no chance of stopping Messi’s penalty in the first half.

Messi then sent Julian Alvarez away with a first-time pass on a counterattack to make it 2-0 late in the first half.

But he saved his best play for the middle of the second half, when he set up Alvarez’s second goal by twisting and turning around Josko Gvardiol and making him look silly.