Lionel Messi celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday with his Argentina teammates, who honored the star forward with custom shirts and a cake during the team's World Cup campaign. The custom shirts featured photos of the teammates with Messi on the front and a special message on the back, calling him "The GOAT" and thanking him for "unforgettable moments."
The message also stated, "To the man who changed our lives, gave us unforgettable moments, and made us believe that dreams are possible … The best part wasn’t just seeing it — it was living it with you! Happy birthday, Captain; we love you. May you be immensely happy," according to ESPN.
A cake from Kansas City bakery Pan Caliente, founded by Argentine chef Silvia Miguel, was also presented to Messi.
Messi has been a key player for Argentina in the World Cup, scoring every goal for the defending champions through their first two matches. He scored a hat trick in the tournament opener against Algeria and added two goals against Austria.
Former Barcelona teammate Pedri described Messi as "overflowing" with quality. "I think that many times you see the game on TV and if you just start looking at him, he is looking where the free gap is or where he is going to be able to receive alone, because of quality he is overflowing, he has more than all the others," Pedri told DSports. "He sees football a little before the others and knows where to be to score a goal. I think that what he does with the age he has, only he can do."