DaMarcus Beasley marveled at Lionel Messi’s elite World Cup performance at age 39, saying what he’s doing for Argentina is “not normal.” The former U.S. winger also turned to the Americans’ next test, pointing to how the team can move past a low-stakes group f
Lionel Messi has turned 39 and. according to DaMarcus Beasley. he’s doing something that doesn’t fit into the usual limits of age. style. or career arcs. On the latest episode of “Sports Seriously. ” Beasley struggled to put it into ordinary words as he reflected on Messi’s lasting greatness and what it looks like from the ground up.
Messi’s summer run has kept drawing global attention. This year. he became the all-time top World Cup goal-scorer this summer. and Beasley emphasized that it happened in only the group stage of the tournament. For Beasley. who played in four World Cups for the United States and faced major names including Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku. Messi’s impact isn’t just measured in highlights—it’s felt in how he carries himself.
“When he turned 39 this month,” Beasley said, “What else can you say about Messi?. What other words can you say about Messi?” He described Messi’s “brilliance” and the way he “carries himself on and off the field. ” adding that he’s “always fit as well. being at that age.” Then he landed on a verdict that felt less like analysis and more like disbelief: “What he’s doing right now is incredible. it’s remarkable.”.
Beasley also tied the current moment to Messi’s history. Messi won his first World Cup in 2022, a breakthrough that pushed him deeper into the ongoing greatest-of-all-time debate. Beasley said he’s thankful Messi plays for Inter Miami so the United States can see his talent week in and week out. But he insisted that something about Messi’s national-team role is different.
“He’s basically putting Argentina, again, on his back and leading them to I’m sure a deep run in this World Cup,” Beasley said. “I’m glad he’s in the States and we get to see him week in and week out, but at the same time, him with Argentina, it’s different.”
He described the atmosphere around Messi with an almost physical reaction. “The aura that he has around that team and for his country. you get goosebumps when you see him walking out of the tunnel going to the warmups in the stadium. ” Beasley said. He also pointed to the production. Beasley said Messi is leading the World Cup with five goals. and that those are “all the goals that Argentina has scored. at 39.”.
Arnold added that even Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has said no words can describe Messi. and Beasley seemed to agree so completely that he didn’t leave room for metaphor. “There’s nothing else to say,” Beasley replied. “… He’s an alien. He is not normal. What he does on the field is not normal.”.
That sense of mismatch—between ordinary expectations and what’s happening on the pitch—showed up again when Beasley shifted from Messi to the U.S. team’s World Cup situation. He didn’t treat the Americans’ group performance as a problem to be worried about. The United States won Group D in only two matches. marking their first time winning a group since the 2010 World Cup. After that, the team dropped its group finale against Turkey.
Beasley said that sequence doesn’t change the point of the opening phase. “Every match matters. As a player, as a competitor, you want to win,” he said. “I’ll start with that.” But he then drew a sharp line between the competitive instinct and the tournament math. “But in the bigger picture. the game doesn’t mean much because they’ve already qualified.” He continued: “Some people forget that the goal was to get out of the group and the goal was to win the group and we’ve done that. So we’ve achieved the first step in what we expected this team to do.”.
There was a particular kind of comfort in the way Beasley framed the loss to Turkey. In a nearly meaningless matchup, the emotional residue shouldn’t be allowed to carry forward. The World Cup itself should keep the energy from draining away. “I don’t think it’s that difficult … to go from a loss to a knockout stage at a World Cup. ” Beasley said. He challenged the idea that the U.S. needs extra motivation beyond the stakes of the next round.
“I can see if it’s in a different situation,” he said. “But if you need motivation, if you need any kind of extra energy or focus to play in a round of 32 match in a World Cup, then you shouldn’t be with the U.S. national team or any World Cup team, to be honest.”
The next step is set. The United States faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
In one breath, Beasley offered wonder about Messi’s age-defying dominance at 39. In the next, he tried to steady expectations for the Americans—urging that qualification and group-winning progress should outweigh a group finale that came after the real objective was already achieved.
For viewers and listeners, the full episode of “Sports Seriously” with Beasley is available to watch below or on YouTube and wherever podcasts are available (search: Sports Seriously).
DaMarcus Beasley Lionel Messi Inter Miami Argentina World Cup USA Group D Bosnia and Herzegovina round of 32 Levi's Stadium Santa Clara Sports Seriously