LIONEL MESSI was accused of “BULLYING”; Josko Gvardiol and the rest of the Croatia defence with his wizardry.
Messi put Argentina in the lead before Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez made it 2-0 in the World Cup quarter-final.
The duo then linked up again to put the game beyond doubt with 20 minutes to go.
Alvarez finished off after a mesmerising run, in which the PSG superstar gave RB Leipzig’s Gvardiol the run around.
Messi’s twisting and turning left the defender in a heap of trouble – and fans online in awe.
One said: “Messi is a joke. He’s just scrambled Gvardiol on multiple occasions in a 10-second spell. Bullying.”;
Another said: “Listen to me. Gvardiol is a good defender. Very good. Lionel Messi just destroyed him. DESTROYED HIM.”;
One added: “Not Messi alone bullying Croatia’s defence.”;
Another added: “Messi is just bullying Croatia out there.”;
Messi admitted before the winter World Cupin Qatar that is is “likely”; his last.
He is bidding to guide Argentina to glory for the first time since 1986, when they were inspired by the iconic Diego Maradona.
Messi has already made history in the tournament by becoming Argentina’s all-time top scorer in World Cup competition with 11 goals.
He surpassed Gabriel Batistuta after scoring against Croatia from the spot, before the game ended 3-0 to book their place in the final.
