Even airport security can't kill the mood in the Argentina camp right now. A clip going viral shows Lionel Messi in fits of laughter as one of his teammates gets a BBQ lighter confiscated during a security check — the kind of moment that only happens when a squad is genuinely loose and confident.
The timing makes sense. Messi has six goals already in the group stage, sits on a seven-game scoring streak in World Cup football, and just became the competition's all-time leading scorer with 19 goals. When things are going that well on the pitch, even a confiscated lighter becomes the funniest thing in the world.
Argentina head to Miami with momentum and a point to prove
Argentina face Cabo Verde in their Round of 32 at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 4 — and they arrive as heavy favourites with the kind of tournament form that makes backing against them feel like a fool's errand. Defending champions, tournament top scorer, and a dressing room clearly enjoying themselves. That's a dangerous combination.
Miami is familiar ground for Messi. Inter Miami is his club, his city now. He helped turn one of MLS's newest franchises — co-owned by David Beckham, founded only in 2018 — into a trophy-winning operation almost immediately after arriving. Leagues Cup in year one. MLS title last year. The man doesn't do quiet transitions.
There were genuine questions when he left European football about whether he was winding down, settling into a comfortable semi-retirement in the Florida sunshine. The World Cup has answered that loudly. Nineteen World Cup goals. A seven-game scoring run in the biggest tournament on the planet. Semi-retirement looks a lot like the best form of his international career.
Cabo Verde will need a miracle on July 4th. Right now, Argentina aren't just playing well — they're enjoying it.
