Sunday Oliseh has lavished praise on Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain delivered a breathtaking performance in his country’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Footynaija reports.
Messi scored all three goals as champions Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0, in what is a dream start to their title defence. The hat-trick also saw the football icon draw level with Miroslav Klose’s World Cup scoring record of 16 goals. Messi also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the Mundial, and he is one of the key reasons why Argentina are favourites to win again.
Oliseh, however, believes Messi’s latest display goes beyond what football fans have come to expect from elite players.
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“This is Lionel Messi AI. There is no other way to describe this. Never in the history of football has a 38-year-old man played the way Messi did yesterday. Now, not only did he score three goals in an opening encounter, it is the way he scored these goals,” Oliseh said on his Global Football Insights podcast.
The former Super Eagles captain revealed that a friend had long referred to Messi as ‘the oracle’, but feels the Argentine’s current level demands a different label.
“A childhood friend of mine has always referred to Messi for the past 15 years as the oracle. From what I saw yesterday, this is the version I will now call the Lionel Messi AI. It is not only because he scored three goals, but it’s the way he did it,” he added.
Oliseh singled out Messi’s third goal for special praise, saying: “Now, you know me that I love shooting. The third goal he scored, the way he struck the ball, the precision, the movement. And not only is Messi just scoring tapping goals, of course he walks. But look at it like this.”
The former Nigeria coach also credited Argentina’s team structure for helping Messi remain effective at the highest level.
“Some people at this age are already grandfathers. In a week he’s going to be 39 years old. Messi is able to achieve this because his colleagues have all come together and said, ‘Look, we have an AI amongst us. What do we do? We sacrifice for him. Let him play,'” Oliseh explained.
He continued: “Watch the full game. The pace he displayed, the ability to still run past opponents. This is something I find exceptional. Gone is Lionel Messi. Now we have Lionel Messi AI.”
While Oliseh stopped short of predicting another World Cup triumph for Argentina, he is convinced football supporters can still expect more magic from the legendary forward.
“Now, Argentina might not win this World Cup, but one thing I can guarantee you of is this, is that with this man still playing like this, we are in for some more joy,” he predicted.
Messi and Argentina still have to contend with Austria and Jordan before the conclusion of proceedings in Group J.
