‘Impressive my friend’

Lionel Messi will have the chance to crown his remarkable career by winning the World Cup after he inspired Argentina to a comfortable 3-0 win against Croatia in the semi-final on Tuesday.

Messi scored a penalty before Julian Alvarez doubled the lead shortly before half-time. The little Argentine genius reserved the best for last when he twisted and turned away from his Croatian marker to set up Alvarez for his second goal.

Uruguay star Luis Suarez has hailed his former Barcelona teammate Messi as the "best in the world" after the 35-year-old led Argentina into the final.

The Argentine captain's performance against Croatia in the semifinal garnered praise from all quarters, with his former teammate Suarez joining the bandwagon as well.

He put out a heartfelt message for Messi: "You don't get tired of showing that you are the best in the world. That everyone stands up to applaud what this boy (Messi) gives to football. Impressive my friend."

Lionel Messi now has five goals in the tournament, the joint-most alongside Kylian Mbappe, and three assists, also the highest along with Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane, and Bruno Fernandes.

With his strike in the semi-final, he also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta's record for most goals at the World Cup for Argentina with 11.

This is shaping up to be Messi's World Cup, and he's now just one game away from lifting the title itself.

Argentina will face either France or Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.