VIDEO: Did he send them into football retirement? Watch how Messi incredibly destroyed two defenders. He also brought down Peru with two goals

Lionel Messi continues to amaze the football world even at 36 years old. Last night, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he scored two goals against Peru and performed stunts that leave you speechless.

While Cristiano Ronaldo is smashing goalscoring records, Lionel Messi is not left out

Absolutely no limits! This is the motto of both living legends of world football. While the Portuguese one broke another benchmark on Monday night, the star Argentine is certainly not lagging behind.

For more than a decade, fans have enjoyed a “rivalry” that has propelled both men to the heights of the sky. They used to fight in the same league, but now they’re outdoing each other from a distance. Cristiano Ronaldo downed Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday to become the man with the most goals scored this season.

But Lionel Messi is not left out either. In last night’s game, his Argentina faced a Peruvian team in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

And favourites Argentina certainly left nothing to chance on Peruvian soil. Lionel Messi returned to the starting line-up after an injury and it was more than a successful return.

The Inter Miami star is now the all-time top scorer in CONMEBOL qualifiers. What’s more, he has surpassed the 820-goal mark, which, among other things, no one has surpassed faster than him.

The star Argentine downed Peru with two goals, plus he performed an incredible manoeuvre

After only half an hour of play, he started a counter-attack in the middle of the field, which he finished by the strictest standards. He cleared Nicolas Gonzalez’s return pass straight into the net.

OH MY MESSI 🤯

(via @Fanatiztv)pic.twitter.com/yGi9JziyBP

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 18, 2023

But that wasn’t all he did. After just ten minutes, he made the best of a copycat pass and sent his team into a two-goal lead with his left foot.

He added a third goal in the second half, but it was disallowed for offside. The score remained unchanged until the final whistle and Argentina remained at the top of the table, having taken advantage of Brazil’s hesitation on Uruguay’s ground and now have a five-point lead over the two teams.

Lionel Messi showed some incredible football in the match, even at 36 years of age, and the month-long break necessitated by a muscle injury was virtually non-existent.

The situation shortly after the first goal in particular went viral on social media. Messi performed a manoeuvre near the touchline that Peruvian players will not easily forget.

esta loco #Messi pic.twitter.com/WeQ8ZJzrWo

— TheJoNhat (@Jonatha98416517) October 18, 2023

Source: World Cup 2026, Twitter / X