Ogenyi Onazi Hails Lionel Messi After Record Level World Cup Heroics

(Lione Messi. Photo Credit: Britannica)

Former Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has commended Lionel Messi’s ongoing excellence at international level, arguing that age has done little to dim the quality of the Argentine captain’s game, according to an online news platform.

Onazi, who came up against Messi during Nigeria’s outings at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, said the forward’s lasting impact at the highest level speaks to his enduring class.

He said Messi remains world class, noting that even at his age, he continues to produce outstanding performances.

According to Onazi, this is proof of the level of talent Messi possesses, serving as a reminder that age becomes irrelevant once a player has true class.

The former midfielder, who started all four of Nigeria’s matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil before the Super Eagles were knocked out by France in the round of 16, said Messi’s understated consistency on the pitch speaks for itself.

He added that Messi has consistently delivered world-class performances time and again, noting that the Argentine doesn’t talk much, preferring instead to let his performances on the pitch do the talking.

Onazi, who also featured for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was part of the squad that lifted the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, made these remarks following Messi’s remarkable hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria at the ongoing 2026 World Cup a result that pushed his career World Cup goal tally to 16, putting him level at the top of the all-time list alongside Germany’s Miroslav Klose.