New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Former India striker Robin Singh believes Lionel Messi possesses a ‘god-gifted ability’ that sets him apart from almost every footballer in history, saying the Argentina captain’s vision, intelligence, and magic on the ball allow him to influence matches in ways few others can.

Messi has once again been at the heart of Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, leading the defending champions into the quarterfinals with a string of match-winning displays. The 39-year-old is the tournament’s leading scorer and has continued to prove why he remains one of football’s greatest players.

For Robin, however, statistics alone cannot explain Messi’s greatness.

“When you speak about Messi, we should all just be grateful that we have been blessed to watch him for 20 years. Two decades of magic we have seen,” Robin, who is part of the Zee5 FIFA World Cup 2026 expert panel, told IANS in an exclusive interview.

While acknowledging the long-running debate between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former India international refused to separate the two legends. “I think there is no separation between Messi and Ronaldo. They are two unbelievably generational talents who have competed year after year. They are both equally unbelievable footballers.”

According to Robin, Messi’s extraordinary ability to decide games on his own makes him unique. “Messi is separated because of his God-gifted ability to change the game single-handedly. The magic that he can create on the ball and the vision that he has, thinking two steps ahead of everybody in his decision-making process, just makes him very difficult to understand,” he said.

Robin believes that quality alone keeps Argentina among the favourites to defend their World Cup crown despite some inconsistent performances during the knockout rounds. “I have questions about Argentina moving forward after the last couple of games, but you can never count out Argentina when you have a Messi on your side,” he added.

Argentina have relied heavily on their captain throughout the tournament, with Messi leading the scoring charts and producing decisive moments as the South American giants continue their quest for back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles.

–IANS

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