England forward Anthony Gordon has described Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the greatest footballer of all time following England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Gordon, who scored England’s only goal in the encounter, acknowledged Messi’s decisive influence on the match as Argentina booked a place in the World Cup final.
Speaking after the game, the recently signed Barcelona forward said watching Messi up close reinforced his belief that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains unmatched in world football.
“I have watched Messi influence games at Barcelona for years, and today I realized he is even better than I thought,” Gordon said during his post-match interview.
“When you have someone like Messi on your team, everything becomes easier. He only needed a moment to change the game, and that is exactly what happened tonight.
“That is why he is considered the greatest player of all time,” he added.
England will now shift their attention to the third-place playoff, where Thomas Tuchel’s side will face France on Saturday in a bid to finish the tournament on a positive note.