Nigerian international and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has praised Lionel Messi following Argentina's dramatic comeback victory over England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal.
The praise came in a social media post shared on Wednesday, just hours after Argentina secured a 2-1 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. In the post, Ndidi wrote: "WOW. Messi... just wow," adding a goat emoji and describing the Argentine captain's display as vision, technique, composure and magic.
The reaction followed Messi's decisive performance in the semifinal. Argentina trailed 1-0 after an Anthony Gordon goal for England but rallied late. Messi, 39, assisted both goals in the final ten minutes to complete another comeback for the defending champions.
According to match reports, he delivered a late assist to Lautaro Martinez for the winning header in stoppage time, sending Argentina to its second straight World Cup final. The result sets up a final against Spain on July 19. Messi has been central to Argentina's run, scoring multiple goals in the tournament including a hat trick in the opener against Algeria and late strikes against Austria, Jordan and Egypt.