News, goals, and analysis – only on the official A BOLA app. World Cup The former English forward Gabriel Agbonlahor praised Lionel Messi’s performance in the 2026 World Cup, which secured Argentina’s place in the quarter-finals, and drew a parallel with Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance, which he considered to be “far from” his best level. Lionel Messi was decisive in the qualification of the albiceleste, contributing with a goal and an assist in the comeback against Egypt, who were leading by two goals. The Argentine star scored for the ninth consecutive game and, despite missing a penalty, was the driving force of the team. His performance left former England international Gabriel Agbonlahor speechless. “This is the difference when people try to compare Messi and Ronaldo. It’s not about Ronaldo, it’s about Messi, who even in the most subdued games, still manages to be Lionel Messi,” Agbonlahor stated on talk SPORT. “He was very quiet in the first half, but when the country needs him… Forget the missed penalty, everyone misses penalties,” he added. The former Aston Villa player highlighted Messi’s ability to change the game: “He turned it around, took the ball, and made an assist. And if we look at the second goal, from the closest angle, he is shouting for the ball. He crosses once, blocked, crosses again, blocked again. And that finish, do you know how difficult it is to finish like that? Honestly, he leaves me speechless.” In contrast, Agbonlahor critically analyzed Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation in the tournament, where he scored three goals in five games. The commentator pointed out the difficulties Portugal faced with the Al Nassr forward on the field. “Some of his statistics are fantastic, but he attempted zero dribbles in the last nine games. He doesn’t hold the ball, he doesn’t chase after it,” he argued. “When we talk about players who seem not to be as involved, we look at the example of Haaland: he still runs and offers something to the team. I think Ronaldo has probably been very far off in these last two tournaments [Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026].”
Read more in Premier League news. and related tags: When the, World Cup The.