Kansas City, July 11 (IANS) Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni dismissed concerns over Lionel Messi’s workload on Friday, saying the 39-year-old remained in peak physical condition ahead of his team’s World Cup quarterfinal against Switzerland.

Scaloni said Argentina’s tracking data showed Messi was covering a similar distance in each match as in previous tournaments.

“He’s not running any more or any less than before. The numbers haven’t changed,” Scaloni was quoted by Xinhua as saying ahead of Saturday’s match at Kansas City Stadium.

“The team supports him a lot. Physically, he’s prepared extremely well with his fitness coach and that’s paying off. He’s giving everything.”

Messi has scored eight goals in the tournament so far and is the joint leader in the race for the Golden Boot alongside France captain Kylian Mbappe, who has played one more match.

Scaloni said Messi’s goal-scoring instincts had not diminished with age and backed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to continue defying expectations.

“People who don’t know him might be surprised. At 39, some think he can’t rise to the challenge anymore, but as long as he wants to keep playing, he’ll continue to do it,” Scaloni said.

“Anyone who watches him train can’t imagine what he was like at 23 under [Pep] Guardiola at Barcelona. That’s why, if you ask his teammates, they’ll tell you the same thing: He’s the best, and he’ll remain the best for as long as he wants to play.”

Scaloni also said Messi would continue to have complete freedom over penalty duties despite missing two spot kicks in the tournament.

“It never even crosses my mind to ask him to change. He decides what he wants to do,” he said.

Likewise, Scaloni pointed out that Messi was free to decide where he operated on the pitch. In Argentina’s round-of-16 victory over Egypt, the forward drifted to the right flank as the defending champion fought back from two goals down, setting up Cristian Romero’s header before scoring the equalizer himself.

“If he moves (to the right) and a teammate goes inside, that’s his decision,” the 48-year-old said. “The team adapts around him. The players understand when he’s involved in the build-up and moving into those areas. He decides whatever he wants to do.”

Scaloni acknowledged that the likelihood this would be Messi’s last major tournament had provided the team with additional motivation.

“We know this will be his last World Cup, and that makes everything even more emotional,” he added.

–IANS

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