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DOHA. — Lionel Messi has been branded the ‘’undisputed GOAT’’ after tying with Diego Maradona for World Cup goals for Argentina.

And it came at a time when his country needed him to be at his best during a tense clash against Mexico that could have seen them leaving the World Cup in just their second match of the tournament on Saturday.

With the scores locked at 0-0 with no real big chances for either side, it looked like the Albiceleste needed a miracle. But, instead, they have the next best thing — Messi. After finding himself in a pocket of space outside of the box, the Paris Saint-Germain star received the ball with a beautiful touch before unleashing a left-footed drive that arrowed past Guillermo Ochoa to give Argentina the lead.

It saw him score his eighth World Cup goal of his career to take him level with Maradona — but still two behind Argentina’s leading scorer in the competition Gabriel Batistuta — who netted 10.

And it sparked a massive reaction on social media, with many fans unable to put into words how good Messi is. So many have turned to an acronym, instead, namely ‘’GOAT’’, which stands for the greatest of all time.

One fan barked on Twitter: “UNDISPUTED GOAT.” Another wrote: “Messi is the greatest football player of all time.”

And a third was full of emotion, saying: “I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever loved a footballer as much as I do Lionel Messi. It’s probably because I’ve never seen anyone as good as him but still. I obviously don’t support any of the teams he plays for yet I want him to win every single game.”

With eight goals to his name at the World Cup, Messi also drew level with Cristiano Ronaldo — who netted his eighth with a penalty against Ghana.

But the 35-year-old might even break that record if the South American nation can live up to its tag as one of the World Cup favourites after getting their first win of the tournament. With Poland to come, another win would see them progress to the next round. — The Daily Star