​At the age of 39, Lionel Messi remains a tremendous player. He just has to pick his spots more.With reigning men’s World Cup champion Argentina on the ropes in the late stages of Wednesday’s semifinal against England, Messi, more than anyone else, had to pull a rabbit out of his hat.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIs anyone remotely surprised the magician did it again?With the game knotted up at 1-1 apiece in early stoppage time at the end of the end, Messi found himself trying to press an advantage on the right side of the goal box as two defenders watched him. It should’ve been an impossible pass at an impossible angle. But not for Messi. He kicked an absolute dime to Lautaro Martínez, who buried it with a beautiful, dramatic header that would send Argentina to its second-straight World Cup Final.Because of course Messi did:Messi’s latest heroics set up what should almost feel like a theatrical World Cup Final. The greatest player of all time gets to play his final international game for his country with the biggest trophy in professional sports on the line. Call it a hunch, but he probably has more magic in store for all of us.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2026 men’s World Cup Final takes place on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. It will feature Argentina squaring off against Spain.This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lionel Messi sent Argentina to World Cup Final with a brilliant pass because of course