India, June 26 -- Spain midfielder Pedri has hailed Argentina captain Lionel Messi after his vintage displays at this summer's FIFA World Cup.

Messi, who turned 39 last week, has lit up the tournament across his first two group games, scoring all five of Argentina's goals, including a first World Cup hat-trick, to seal his team's progress to the knockout stage.

Despite his age, he has shown few signs of rust, leaving fellow players and viewers all over the world delighted and astonished in equal measure. His former teammate Pedri is the latest to join that chorus.

The two spent the 2020-21 season together at Barcelona, after Pedri arrived from Las Palmas and before Messi departed for Paris Saint-Germain. They were teammates for just on...