Let’s be logical. Croatia beat Ghana, and both teams officially qualified. If Portugal had beaten Colombia, they would have faced Ghana, an African team just like the one Messi is about to face, and Ghana would also have been on Argentina’s side of the bracket. But Portugal bottled it because they play with a striker named Cristiano. And keep in mind, Colombia were missing six of their regular starters. Now you’ll say, “Are you really comparing Colombia to Austria, Jordan, and Algeria?” My answer is: you were the ones who kept saying that the teams Messi beats in the Copa América are weak and easy, using that to downplay his two Copa América titles. So now, all of a sudden, Colombia is a strong team? Find a different excuse. And yes, Messi is FIFA’s golden boy. He’ll win another World Cup thanks to “controversial refereeing decisions,” he’ll win his ninth Ballon d’Or after playing just eight games, and if you don’t like it… well, that’s your problem. 😭