Former Super Eagles captain and manager, Sunday Oliseh, has characterized Lionel Messi’s extraordinary performance in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener as surpassing conventional football, insisting that the former Barcelona forward has evolved into an “AI” version of himself.
Messi delivered an exceptional performance as Argentina commenced their World Cup title defense with a 3-0 triumph over Algeria, netting a hat-trick in a match that occurred days before his 39th birthday.
The Argentine captain’s three goals also enabled him to match the record of 16 World Cup goals set by German legend Miroslav Klose.
In response to Messi’s display, Oliseh stated that the Argentine star’s capacity to maintain dominance at such a high level at his age is unprecedented in the history of football.
“This is Lionel Messi AI. There is no other way to describe this. Never in the history of football has a 38-year-old man performed as Messi did yesterday. Not only did he score three goals in an opening match, but the manner in which he scored them is remarkable,” Oliseh stated on Global Football Insights with Oliseh.
The former Ajax Amsterdam midfielder further noted that Messi’s brilliance reminded him of a nickname given to the Argentine by a childhood friend, yet he believes the forward’s recent performances necessitate a new designation.
“A childhood friend of mine has consistently referred to Messi as the oracle for the past 15 years. Based on what I observed yesterday, I will now refer to him as the Lionel Messi AI. It is not solely due to his three goals, but rather the manner in which he achieved them.
“Now, you know I have a passion for shooting. The way he struck the ball for the third goal, the precision, the movement. And Messi does not merely score tap-in goals; he certainly walks. But consider it this way,” he said
