England forward Anthony Gordon has showered praise on Argentina captain Lionel Messi, describing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the greatest footballer of all time following England’s heartbreaking exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Gordon made the comments after Argentina defeated England 2-1 in a thrilling semi-final encounter on Wednesday, ending the Three Lions’ dream of reaching the World Cup final. Despite scoring England’s only goal, Gordon admitted that Messi’s influence on the game proved decisive.
The newly signed Barcelona winger said watching Messi from the opposition bench gave him a deeper appreciation of the Argentine legend’s extraordinary ability to control matches and produce decisive moments under pressure.
“I have watched Messi influence games at Barcelona for years, and today I realized he is even better than I thought,” Gordon said during his post-match interview.
According to the England international, having a player of Messi’s quality makes life significantly easier for teammates because of his ability to create opportunities and change the outcome of matches in an instant.
“When you have someone like Messi on your team, everything becomes easier. He only needed a moment to change the game, and that is exactly what happened tonight,” Gordon added.
He concluded by saying that performances like the one against England explain why Messi is widely regarded as the greatest player in football history.
Messi played a key role in Argentina’s victory, providing two assists as the defending champions booked their place in the World Cup final, where they will battle Spain for another global title.
Meanwhile, Gordon and the England squad will now shift their attention to the third-place playoff against France on Saturday, as manager Thomas Tuchel’s side aims to end the tournament on a positive note.
With Messi now just one victory away from adding another World Cup triumph to his remarkable career, football fans around the world will be eagerly watching to see if the Argentine icon can further cement his legendary status.
#LionelMessi #AnthonyGordon #WorldCup2026 #Argentina #England #Football #GOAT #BreakingNews #FIFA #TrendingNow
