Argentina star Lionel Messi put on the best individual display at the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far, according to former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand.
Messi netted on his 1,000th career appearance as Argentina defeated a spirited Australia side 2-1 on Saturday evening.
The goal was also Messi's ninth in the World Cup overall, which means he needs one more to equal Gabriel Batistuta's record for the national side.
Read: Messi Argentina set up quarter-final date with Netherlands
Ferdinand waxed lyrical about the 35-year-old's display against the Socceroos on Saturday evening.
"Messi has put on the best individual performance we have seen at this World Cup by a mile," Ferdinand said on BBC.
"The crowd, it was almost godlike after anything he had done. We were almost watching the reaction from the fans to everything he did."
Messi also received some high praise from one of his teammates, Emiliano Martinez, after guiding the side to the quarter-finals.
"Leo is 99.9% of the team. We are the remaining percentage that we try to help him when things don't work out for him," Martinez told Cope.
"We are going step by step. We have the best in the world, but we are going to fight until the end."
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