Argentina’s World Cup defence lurched back to life in the round of 16 when Lionel Messi, two goals down to Egypt, orchestrated a comeback that ended 3-2 and carried his side into a quarter-final against Switzerland. In Kansas City on Friday, coach Lionel Scaloni used the occasion to push back against any lingering doubts about his 39-year-old captain’s physical decline, insisting that Messi’s running data has barely shifted across tournaments and that his influence only grows more decisive. “When he gives everything and feels he can create danger, he is a machine,” Scaloni said, a phrase that rippled through briefings from Buenos Aires to Jakarta.

Scaloni’s faith is backed by numbers: Messi has covered similar distances in each match as in previous World Cups, a point the coach underlined by citing fitness data. The forward, who turned 39 last month and recently recovered from a muscle injury, has scored eight goals in the tournament, a tally matched only by France’s Kylian Mbappé. Against Egypt, he drifted to the right wing to deliver the cross for Cristian Romero’s header before scoring the equaliser himself, a freedom Scaloni says the team now instinctively accommodates. “The players understand when he gets involved in build-up and moves into those areas. He decides whatever he wants to do,” the coach explained.

The same latitude extends to penalties, despite two misses in the competition. Scaloni confirmed that Messi remains the first-choice taker, a decision left entirely to the player. “If he wants to take it, he will take it,” he said, brushing aside any statistical argument. Since the 2022 World Cup, Messi has converted only four of seven spot-kicks for Argentina, yet the hierarchy inside the squad is unchanged. Analysts in Europe note that such trust reflects a broader pattern: the team is built to maximise Messi’s remaining years, with midfielders and full-backs adjusting their runs to compensate for his reduced defensive output.

The emotional stakes are sharpened by the widespread assumption that this is Messi’s final World Cup. Scaloni acknowledged the added weight, saying, “We know this will be his last, and that makes everything more emotional.” Argentina now face a Switzerland side that reached the last eight for the first time in 72 years after eliminating Colombia on penalties. The Swiss, with a robust defensive record and a goalkeeper in Gregor Kobel who has been a standout, present a different test to the chaos of the Egypt tie. For Argentina, the path to the semi-finals runs through a team that, as Scaloni noted, “always competes” and boasts considerable physical strength.

The winner in Kansas City will meet either Brazil or Germany in the last four, a prospect that underlines the narrowing margin for error in a tournament where Messi’s every touch is freighted with finality.