The world still belongs to Messi.

And we are all living in that world.

The World Cup still belongs to Messi.

And we are all watching it.

At 38 years of age and playing in his sixth World Cup, there were plenty of questions before the match. How much had he recovered from his recent muscle injury? Would he start the game? And even if he did, could he still change the course of a match at this age? Or had he become merely a figure of nostalgia — someone who could stir emotions in the stands but no longer carried the same thunder in his boots?

Within 45 minutes, Lionel Messi had made those questions seem ridiculous.