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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Lionel Messi put on a show for Argentina after coming off the bench, much to the happiness and amazement of his fans.
Messi started La Albiceleste's friendly encounter against Jamaica on Tuesday (September 27) as a substitute. His team didn't seem to suffer much in his absence and led 1-0 thanks to Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez's 13th-minute strike.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner eventually joined proceedings in the 56th minute, replacing Lautaro Martinez, who had assisted Alvarez's goal.
Lionel Messi seemed to be in the mood right from the off and put in a magical display. He first scored from the edge of the box in the 86th minute to effectively seal Argentina's 35th consecutive win across competitions.
The PSG forward then cleverly placed a free-kick under the wall and into the bottom corner three minutes later to make it 3-0.
His performance expectedly brought him praise from all corners as his fans went berserk on Twitter. One of them tweeted:
"Lionel Messi['s] Argentina is the best. 35 games and still counting. World cup is the Goal. 8th Ballon d'or loading 🔥#Messi𓃵"
Another wrote:
"I mean, he’s always been amazing but watching him recently, it feels to me like Lionel Messi is getting ready to light this World Cup up 🙌🏻🔥"
Here are some more reactions to Messi's superb display against Jamaica:
In addition to finding the back of the net twice, Messi recorded two key passes, created one big chance and completed three dribbles against the Jamaicans.
Lionel Messi has been on a tear for Argentina and PSG
Lionel Messi will return to PSG on the back of a superb international break. Prior to the 3-0 win on Tuesday, the veteran forward scored a brace as Argentina beat Honduras by the same margin last week.
Messi is currently in the midst of one of his best runs in national team colors. He laid out two assists and scored five times in Argentina's matches against Italy and Estonia prior to the start of the 2022-23 club season as well.
The Barcelona legend has also excelled for PSG in the ongoing campaign. In 11 matches across all competitions, Messi has scored six times and laid out eight assists for the Parisians. He will look to continue his incredible run of form in their Ligue 1 encounter against OGC Nice this weekend.
On the national team front, Messi's next official assignment will be at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. La Albiceleste will open their campaign against Saudi Arabia on November 22.
