Onazi Commends Messi's Ongoing Greatness

Lionel Messi. Photo: Getty Images

Former Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has praised Lionel Messi's ongoing greatness in international football. He believes that age has not affected the Argentine captain's skill on the field, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Onazi faced Messi during Nigeria's games at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. He noted that Messi's ability to stay at the top of the game shows his remarkable talent.

"Messi, as we all know, is world class. At his age, he is still doing wonders. This is to show the level of talent and to remind everyone that age is just a number when you have class," Onazi said.

The former midfielder played in all four of Nigeria's matches during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Super Eagles were eliminated by France in the round of 16. Onazi said Messi's consistent performance on the field speaks volumes.

"He has consistently shown his world-class performance any time, any day. He does not talk too much, he just shows his work on the pitch," Onazi added.

Onazi also played for Nigeria in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He was part of the team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his comments after Messi scored a stunning hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria at the ongoing 2026 World Cup. This win brought Messi's World Cup goal tally to 16, tying him with Germany's Miroslav Klose on the all-time list.