Lionel Messi Makes History and Day Thirteen Preview | Morning Cupdate, Presented by The Home Depot

Summary

Men in Blazers – "Lionel Messi Makes History and Day Thirteen Preview | Morning Cupdate" (June 23, 2026)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Men in Blazers, hosted by Michael Davies and Roger Bennett with contributions from Rory Smith and Matt Doyle, focuses on Day 13 of the 2026 World Cup. The main theme centers on Lionel Messi’s historic achievement in becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer, as well as a spirited preview of the day’s matches, most notably Portugal vs. Uzbekistan and England vs. Ghana. The hosts deliver their observations, predictions, and classic banter, blending sharp analysis with their trademark wit and reverence for the beautiful game.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lionel Messi's Record-Breaking Day

• Messi Overtakes Klose and Marta:
  • Broke the World Cup's all-time goalscoring record (now at 18 goals), surpassing Miroslav Klose and also the legendary Marta (most goals, man or woman) (03:00–04:20).
  • Set additional records: most matches played (28), most wins (18), and most minutes (2,489).
• Memorable Moments:
  • Missed an 8th minute penalty, his third World Cup penalty miss.
  • Scored a "breathtaking" goal in the 38th minute to break the record (Argentina vs. Austria).
  • Added an insurance goal in the 95th minute.
• Global and Cultural Impact:
  • Emotional reactions from fans worldwide, especially in Bangladesh and from a 100-year-old fan in the stadium.
  • Rory Smith: "The Messi effect on America reminds me a little bit of Michael Jordan in Britain in the 90s... greatness in whatever discipline, just permeates our cultural consciousness." (04:52)

2. Recap of Key Matches (June 22, 2026)

• France vs. Iraq: Delayed by severe weather but France cruised to a 3–0 win, with Kylian Mbappé’s brace putting him just two goals behind Messi in the all-time list (05:05–05:40).
• Norway vs. Senegal: Norway wins 3–2, Haaland scores twice, keeps his goal streak alive (12 straight international matches).
• Jordan vs. Algeria: Algeria comes back to win 2–1, knocking debutante Jordan out.

3. Day 13 Preview & Tactical Analysis

• Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Group K):
  • Focus on Cristiano Ronaldo’s form and legacy:
    • Debate around whether he still deserves his place—highlighting his "off" performance against DR Congo (0 key passes, 0 crosses, all shots off target, consistently offside).
    • Rory Smith on Ronaldo:
      • Pro-Ronaldo: "He wants to score all the goals that God sends, he wants to be the man that wins the game for you... he's a real team guy." (07:23)
      • Anti-Ronaldo: "The bits where you really find it difficult... is when he's getting in his teammates way actively... like an overbearing parent." (07:33)
  • Uzbekistan’s center back Khushunov is called out as a tough matchup for the aging Ronaldo.
• England vs. Ghana (Group L):
  • England can clinch knockout stage qualification with a win.
  • England’s exciting attacking performance in their opener fuels fan optimism ("It's coming home").
  • Ghana welcomes back Thomas Partey, who will be vital in midfield against England’s stars.
• Other Matches:
  • Panama vs. Croatia: High stakes for Croatia after a poor opening result.
  • Colombia vs. DR Congo: Notable mention of Lumumbavea, DR Congo’s superfan, returning for this match (09:45–10:20).

4. Predictions & Banter (12:36–13:38)

• Portugal vs. Uzbekistan:
  • Roger Bennett predicts: Uzbekistan 3–1 Portugal
  • Michael Davies predicts: Portugal 2–1 Uzbekistan
• England vs. Ghana:
  • Roger Bennett: England 3–1 Ghana ("Rough first half... second half, Tuchel talk, then they'll go out and be good again." 13:14)
  • Michael Davies: England 2–0 Ghana
• Ongoing prediction competition between the podcast team and NightClub team ("5:3 to the NightClub – they're pulling away, everyone, like a steam train." 12:31)

5. Lionel Messi’s Legendary Resilience (15:07–16:30)

• Messi’s comeback from Copa America heartbreak in 2016, where he briefly retired from international play, to now, ten years later, holding every World Cup record imaginable.
• Reflections on Messi’s career longevity: 12 of his 18 goals have come after turning 35—"more than Ronaldo has ever scored." (16:20)
• Michael Davies: "Maybe we're all being a little bit premature about saying this is going to be his last tournament. Maybe we could all be watching Lionel Messi in 2030." (16:30)

6. Live Events & Upcoming Coverage

• Men in Blazers Matchday Live Tour: Teases college gameday–style live events across U.S. host cities, with celebrity guests and fan engagement (13:38).
• Promotion of their watch-along for England vs. Ghana featuring special guests (17:10).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rory Smith (on Messi’s cultural impact, 04:52):

  “The Messi effect on America reminds me a little bit of Michael Jordan in Britain in the 90s when basketball wasn’t a big thing. That like, greatness in whatever discipline, just permeates our cultural consciousness.”

• Michael Davies (on Messi’s longevity, 16:30):

  “Maybe we could all be watching Lionel Messi in 2030.”

• Roger Bennett (on the World Cup spirit, 12:46):

  “This is the best bit of the World Cup.”

• On Ronaldo’s role, Rory Smith (07:33):

  “The bits where you really find it difficult to believe that they can go all the way is when he’s getting in his teammates way actively. Just leave them to it. He’s like an overbearing parent.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:00] – Day 13 Preview and Messi’s Record-Breaking Feat
• [04:52] – Rory Smith on Messi’s global impact
• [05:05] – Recap: France’s win over Iraq & Mbappé’s chase
• [07:09] – Portugal vs. Uzbekistan tactical breakdown & Ronaldo debate
• [09:00] – England vs. Ghana preview
• [10:18] – Colombia vs. DR Congo & Lumumbavea the Superfan
• [12:36] – Prediction challenge: Portugal/Uzbekistan and England/Ghana
• [15:07] – Messi’s Guinness World Records & career reflection
• [17:10] – Upcoming watch-along/live events

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Episode Tone & Style

• Warm, witty, reverent towards football “narrative and magic”
• Blends stats and sharp analysis with humor and banter
• Fuses admiration for footballing icons with skepticism and playful rivalry (especially regarding Ronaldo)

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This episode is a fast-paced, informative, and emotionally resonant look at the World Cup’s biggest moments and storylines, making it a must-listen for fans seeking both analysis and the grandeur that only football can provide.

Transcript

[Roger Bennett]

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[Michael Davies]

Hello, good morning and welcome to Morning Cup Date. A big day ahead as a wounded Portugal hope to get their tournament back on track with a win against Uzbekistan. No pressure, Cristiano Ronaldo after Lionel Messi's antics yesterday and England can qualify for the knockouts with a win against Ghana. This is your ultimate guide to day 13 of the world Cup. Hello and welcome to Morning Cup Date, built by the Home Depot. We are coming to you live from LA's iconic Union Station in our big orange Men in Blazers bus. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard match day ready Subject to availability. Right. Yesterday was all about the superstars, wasn't it? And they all delivered. But we've got to start with the biggest of them all.

[Roger Bennett]

Yeah.

[Michael Davies]

None other than Lionel Messi. He made history yesterday as he became the World Cup's all time record goalscorer during their match against Austria. And whilst this match is one that Messi will remember forever, there will be one moment that he will want to forget. That was the reaction at a Buenos Aires watch party as Lionel Messi put an 8th minute penalty worldwide. His third World cup penalty miss. Messi needed just one goal to break Miroslav Klose's record. But look, Messi clearly wasn't feeling the spot. He didn't want to make history from the penalty spot. Who would? He was clearly thinking if he was going to break this illustrious record, he wanted an absolute banger. And that is exactly what he did in the 38th minute, sending this group of viewers in Bangladesh into raptures. History made Messi's 17th World cup goal a breathtaking moment of pure Messi magic to break Austria's well drilled press. Fans of all ages celebrated this insane moment, including a 100-year-old Messi fan in the stadium who wrote a sign to show her love for the little magician. But who wants to just beat one World cup record when you can break two? In the 95th minute, Messi wrapped up the win for Argentina. And because he now has 18 World cup goals, he's also now passed the legend that is Marta for the most ever goals, man or woman. This was the sound of Argentinian commentary and it is pretty epic. Oh, it's so good, isn't it? An absolute icon. Here's Rory's take on Messi's cultural impact.

[Rory Smith]

The Messi effect on America reminds me a little bit of Michael Jordan in Britain in the 90s when basketball wasn't a big thing. That like greatness in whatever discipline, just permeates our cultural consciousness.

[Michael Davies]

Then in Philly, it was France against Iraq. And whilst this has been the summer of the hydration break, a two hour halftime interval is probably a little bit too much. This wasn't just an opportunity for Fox to put in a load of adverts. This was because of severe weather warnings in the Philadelphia area. And despite the incredibly long break, France had no troubles breaking down Iraq. They won three nil thanks to goals from Usman Dembele and a brace from guess who, of course Kylian Mbappe Milinkillian is now joint second in the all time World cup goalscorers list, just two behind Lionel Messi in New Jersey. The game between Norway and Senegal was possibly the tightest one of the day on paper. But most importantly, the Norwegians in the stadium have really perfected the row. I know we keep playing that every day, but it is just so good, isn't it, guys? Norway were clearly inspired as they produced a brilliant display to beat Senegal by three goals to two. Erling Haaland kept pace in the Golden Boot race by scoring two goals as well, taking him up to four for the tournament. He's now scored in his last 12 competitive international matches. His record is just insane. I wish you guys could see producer Sami there trying to do the Norwegian row. It is quite entertaining. Yeah, thank you, Sami. Finally, the day ended with Jordan against Algeria. And despite the debutante Jordan taking the lead in the first half, Algeria got the job done in the second half to win 2:1. That means that Jordan are the fifth team that have been knocked out of the World Cup. Day 13 of the World cup here is unlucky for some, maybe, but not for us, as there are some very interesting ties in store. It all gets underway at 1pm Eastern in Houston as Portugal face Uzbekistan in Group K. And that is the focus of today's Drill Down.

[Matt Doyle]

Oh, yes.

[Michael Davies]

Today's Drill down, brought to you by Makita is a debate you're probably hearing everywhere at the moment. Where do you stand on one of the most decorated players in world football, Cristiano Ronaldo? Are your team CR7 like Rio Ferdinand?

[Rory Smith]

Yeah. He wants to score all the goals that God sends, he wants to be the man that wins the game for you, etc. But around that he's a real team guy.

[Michael Davies]

Or are you anti CR7 like Rory Smith?

[Rory Smith]

The bits where you really find it difficult to believe that they can go all the way is when he's getting in his teammates way actively. Just leave them to it. He's like an overbearing parent.

[Michael Davies]

Ronaldo's performance against Dr. Congo got the world talking after all three of his shots were off target. Despite standing in in the penalty box for most of the match. He also made zero key passes and zero crosses. Was it just a one off? I don't know about that. He was also offside for pretty much the whole match. Anyway, today's match in Houston against Uzbekistan feels pretty pivotal. If he repeats what he did in match one, the noise will be deafening. Then again, if he scores 10, he'll overtake Lionel Messi as the outright World cup top goalscorer. If he plays as a centre forward, he's going to be up against Uzbekistan centre back Abdokadir Khushunov, who has been measured as the fifth fastest player at the tournament, which probably isn't ideal for the 41 year old Cristiano Ronaldo. Coach Roberto Martinez defended Ronaldo's inclusion by saying that it makes no sense to leave the best goalscorer in world football out of a game when you need the goals. That title may have been true previously, but probably not really anymore. In fairness to Roberto Martinez, his other striker option is Gonzalo Ramos, who is far from in form himself and is generally not picked for the big games by his club PSG. However, after 10 straight matches in the World cup and Euros without a goal, the pressure could not be any higher for ronaldo. Then at 4pm Eastern England are back in action, playing Ghana in Boston. Oh guys, please come on. Second match of the World cup. The love affair between Boston and England's great rival Scotland has been all over the media and the England fans that are now in town couldn't help but have a dig at their Scottish neighbours. Yeah, you're definitely not going to find any love for the Scots in Boston now that the English are there now. Thomas Tuchel's side were very impressive during their 42 win over Croatia, especially in attack. It's got a lot of England fans saying that it is definitely going to be coming home. It's going home. There'll be favourites to beat Ghana in this Group L match, but the Black Stars also won their opening game, narrowly beating Panama. Thomas Partey is expected to return after he was denied entry to Canada because he falsely told officials he had never been arrested or charged with a crime. He's going to be vital to stopping the influence of Bellingham, Rice and Anderson in the midfield for England. Then in the group L match up in Toronto at 7pm Eastern Panama at play Croatia, who both suffered defeat on the opening day. Questions were asked of Croatia's aging midfield after conceding four goals against the English and in all honesty, it could have been a lot more, but keeper Dominik Livakovic played an absolute blinder. Coach Zlatko Dalic is a hero in Croatia after guiding his side to the final in 2018 and the semi finals in 2022. But a group stage exit would really take some gloss off of that reputation and to end the day, it's the group K match between Colombia and Dr. Congo in Guadalajara and for Dr. Congo they' received a major boost as this man returns. This, if you didn't know, is Lumumbavea the Dr. Congo fan who stands like a statue with one arm in the air for the entire match and he's officially made it to Mexico World Cup. He missed their first game against Portugal where his team picked up a one all draw. And he'll be hoping that his presence will inspire inspire his team to another big result. They face Colombia who eventually won 3:1 against Uzbekistan. Now the match gets underway at 10pm Eastern. After that, it will be the second round of Group stage matches officially complete tonight after Panama and Croatia. I'll be back with Roger Rory on Nightcup right here on the men in Blazers YouTube. Tune in as we hop on the big orange bus to break down today's massive matches over a pint and whatever local foods Rog finds for us to taste to test. It should be interesting. As always, I am praying for a in n out grilled cheese. It's got me feeling quite hungry actually. Anyway, it is time for our prediction challenge against the nightclub team. Yesterday I took on Rog Bennett. We both went for an Argentina win against Austria, which was correct. But Rog got an exact score in the other game going for Norway 3, Senegal 2. Let's not talk about my prediction. I can't even remember. So that means it's 5:3 to the nightclub. They're pulling away, everyone. Like a steam train. I am feeling the pressure from my team. These guys can't even look at me in the eyes anymore. Feel free to help me out in the comments on YouTube by the way, for the upcoming fixtures. Help me. Anyway, today I took on Rog once again and I'm hoping to redeem myself. Come on, Matty.

[Roger Bennett]

Come on, Messi.

[Michael Davies]

Another day, Rog. Another big old day of World cup glorious football. More predictions.

[Roger Bennett]

This is the best bit of the World Cup.

[Michael Davies]

This is the best bit, isn't it? Okay, watching the games. Well, exactly. We've got Portugal against Uzbekistan. What are you going to say?

[Roger Bennett]

Uzbekistan, 3:1. Really? Just going all in at this point.

[Michael Davies]

Okay, well, I'm going to go 2:1 to Portugal.

[Roger Bennett]

I kind of gave you that one, didn't I?

[Michael Davies]

You did.

[Roger Bennett]

That was pity. Because we're winning so much. I want you to get back into it.

[Rory Smith]

Okay?

[Michael Davies]

England. Ghana.

[Roger Bennett]

It's a pity.

[Michael Davies]

I don't want your pity. Give me England. Ghana.

[Roger Bennett]

England. Ghana. Oh, I think that's going to be 3:1 as well. I think England are really going to be a rough first half. There'll be some doubts. Second half. I think Thomas Tuchel will give one of his inspirational talks like just be good again. And they'll go out and be good again.

[Michael Davies]

Ghana were they weren't very convincing where they last time out so it's probably going to be an England win. I'm going to go 2 nil.

[Roger Bennett]

And as the world arrives in the United States for the biggest spectacle in sports, we're going coast to coast, host city to host city to meet the world with the men in Blazers Matchday Live Tour. These are free college gameday style live events taking place just before kickoff at some of the biggest games of the summer where we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans. It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or From Afar on YouTube. Let's celebrate this some other way. It's meant to be celebrated. Head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football to more together Courage.

[Guest or Caller]

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[Matt Doyle]

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[Commercial Narrator]

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[Michael Davies]

On today's finishing touch, brought to you by Behr Paint we have to pay homage once again to Lionel Messi, who couldn't have broken any more records today if he tried. Us mere mortals would be delighted to break one Guinness World Record within our lifetimes, but yesterday, Lionel Messi broke four of them. Of course, as we know, he has the most goals in the tournament's history. 18. The most matches played as well. 28. He's won 18 matches. That's the most matches ever won and played the most minutes. 24:89. It is just insane, isn't it? In fact, did he break the world record for the most number of world records in a single game of football? Surely, surely he did. Add that to the list. Guys, I feel like this story is made even better, though, by the fact that 10 years ago he retired from international football. You probably remember he lost the 2016 Copa America final to Chile, his fourth defeat in a final made even more painful by the fact that he missed the first penalty in the shootout. After that game, he declared it is over outside the locker room. And this, of course, was only two years after losing the 2014 final to Germany. Ten years later. And this is the scene. And the maddest thing about Messi is how he's aged. Like a fine Malbec, my favourite red wine. 12 of his 18 goals at the tournament have actually come since he turned 35, more than Ronaldo has ever scored. By the way, maybe we're all being a little bit premature about saying this is going to be his last tournament. Maybe we could all be watching LIONEL Messi in 2030. That is it for Morning Update today. Built by the Home Depot. The Home Depot is your winning assist to host the ultimate watch party with fast free delivery to get your backyard matchday ready, subject to availability. Tune in later today for the first official men in blazers. Watch along. Presented by Google. Roger Rory will be live on Twitch during England and Ghana for your second screen viewing pleasure. And they'll be joined by actor Will Arnett, musician Aaron Dessner and German funnyman Flula Borg. It should be a ton of fun, you won't want to miss it. We'll be back tomorrow, but as always, enjoy your day of football.

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[Guest or Caller]

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[Matt Doyle]

Well that's cool.

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[Matt Doyle]

So what's the problem?

[Guest or Caller]

That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes to smoothly. I'm waiting for the catch.

[Matt Doyle]

Maybe there's no catch.

[Guest or Caller]

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[Commercial Narrator]

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[Matt Doyle]

You need to relax.

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[Matt Doyle]

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[Matt Doyle]

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