GOAT: Football Fans Hail Lionel Messi As the 'Greatest' After His Latest Achievement

• Lionel Messi proved his mettle for the umpteenth time as he scored on his 1000th career appearance
• In the process of scoring on his 1000th career appearance, Messi also ended his goal-scoring duck in the knockout phase of the World Cup
• Messi is chasing his first Worl Cup title at this year's tournament, which could be his last appearance at the Mundial

Football fans across the globe rushed to the micro-blogging App, Twitter, to lavish praise on Lionel Messi following his latest milestone.

Lionel Messi brought his inability to score in the knockout phase of the World Cup to a crashing halt on the grand occasion of his 1000th career appearance.

The 35-year-old Paris Saint-Germain superstar broke the deadlock in Argentina's last 16 clash with Australia on Saturday.

His goal against the Socceroos took his World Cup tally to nine, one shy of the iconic Gabriel Batistuta, who has the most goals for an Argentine at the Mundial.

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On the back of Messi's recent feat, social media was sent into a state of pandemonium with a truckload of praises coming from across the globe, who were mesmerized by Messi's 'magic.'

Below are some of the comments:

@Shoaiib12 waxed lyrical about the Argentine genius:

"Lionel Andrés Messi. The greatest there is. The greatest there was. The greatest there ever will be."

@farhannNO3 opined:

"He always delivered when matters."

@elujah_a poured accolades on the 35-year-old PSG superstar

"He is Iconic. He is Magic. You don't need to be an Argentina fan to appreciate the greatness of Lionel Messi. That's it."

Another user @jrahman234 argued there has never been a footballer to have graced the sport like Messi:

"There will never be another like him. Enjoy him while he is here. G.O.A.T."

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@MarlieRobinson6 opted to be more poetic with his praise:

"Grass is the colour Green. Sky and sea is the colour Blue. Lionel Messi is the GOAT."

Lionel Messi scored his first-ever World Cup knockout goal on the occasion of his 1000th game in what has been an illustrious football career.

After suffering a setback in their opening game against Saudi Arabia, Messi inspired La Albiceleste to the knockout phase, defeating Mexico and Poland by 2-0 respectively.

On the occasion of his milestone appearance, Messi further embellished his status as one of the best, if not the best, ever footballer the sport has witnessed.

Messi's Argentina tipped as favourites

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Argentina had been considered one of the favourites for the World Cup trophy in Qatar. Lionel Scaloni's side came into the tournament against the backdrop of a 35-match unbeaten streak.

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However, an opening day loss to Saudi Arabia made the squad have a quick reality check. The team bounced back with identical wins against Poland and Mexico to reignite hopes of a first World Cup trophy since 1986.

Apart from a star-studded squad led by the evergreen Lionel Messi, there are some series of coincidences that show Argentina might just go all the way and lift the trophy on December 18th.