“Always the 10” – Lionel Messi receives praise from Angel Di Maria and Antonela Roccuzzo after winning goal against Ecuador

Lionel Messi has drawn plaudits from his wife Antonela Rocuzzo and Argentina teammate Angel Di Maria following his winner against Ecuador on Thursday (September 7).

La Albiceleste commenced their long road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 win in Buenos Aires. In a hard-fought contest, Messi broke the deadlock with a sumptuous curling 78th-minute free-kick winner beyond a five-man Ecuador wall and past the despairing dive of custodian Hernan Galindez.

Here's the video of his sensational strike (via Albiceleste Talk):

It was also a landmark strike from La Pulga, as he moved level with his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez (29) for most goals in CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifying.

The goal marked the eighth straight game Messi scored for the reigning world champions since a 2-1 win over Australia in the Round of 16 of their victorious 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Messi posted on Instagram after the game (as translated from Spanish):

"A very valuable win to start this new path! Thank you all for the support once again!!! This is a great way to go! #Vamos Argentina."

Di Maria replied to the post (as translated from Spanish):

"Always the 10."

Messi's wife, Rocuzzo, simply responded with a pair of clapping emojis.

Here's the screenshot of the duo's comments on La Pulga's Instagram post:

Screenshot of Di Maria and Antonela Rocuzzo's messaages on Lionel Messi's post

Argentina next play Bolivia in La Paz on Wednesday, September 12, on matchday two of the qualifiers.

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Why did Lionel Messi come off early against Ecuador?

Lionel Messi

After his imperious strike against Ecuador, Lionel Messi wasn't on the field till the final whistle. The 36-year-old magician came off in the 89th minute for Exequiel Palacios.

Messi, though, allayed concerns of any injury, explaining that he was a bit tired following his recent exploits with Inter Miami. He has played 11 games across three different competitions for the Herons since arriving this summer as a free agent.

"I came out because I was a bit tired, said Messi (via Albiceleste Talk).

"It's probably not the last time that will happen (come out during the last minutes of the game). It’s all good, I’m fine.”

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni later said about Messi in his post-match press conference (as per GOAL):

“Messi asked for a substitution, otherwise I wouldn’t take him off. Later we will evaluate what he has.”

At the moment, it seems unlikely that La Pulga won't feature in the next qualifying clash at Bolivia.