LeBron James is among those to have paid tribute to Grant Wahl following the American sports journalist's death while covering the World Cup in Qatar.
Wahl was in attendance at Friday's quarter-final tie between Argentina and the Netherlands at Lusail Stadium when he took ill in the media tribune.
The 48-year-old was a correspondent for CBS Sports and had previously worked for Sports Illustrated, where he did a cover story on the then up-and-coming James 20 years ago.
"I'm very fond of Grant and having that cover shoot – me being a teenager and him covering that, it was a pretty cool thing," Los Angeles Lakers star James told reporters following his side's 133-122 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
"Even when I moved up in the ranks and became a professional and he kind of went to a different sport and things of that nature over the years, anytime his name would come up I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building down at St. V. It's a tragic loss.
"It's unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was and I wish his family the best. And may he rest in paradise."
No further details surrounding his death have been released.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement: "It is with disbelief and immense sadness that I have been made aware of the passing of renowned sports journalist Grant Wahl, while reporting on a quarter-final match during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
"Only some days ago, Grant was recognised by FIFA and AIPS for his contribution to reporting on eight consecutive FIFA World Cups, and his career also included attendance at several FIFA Women's World Cups, as well as a host of other international sporting events.
"His love for football was immense and his reporting will be missed by all who follow the global game. On behalf of FIFA and the football community, we express our sincerest condolences to his wife Celine, his family, and his friends at this most difficult time."
The US Soccer Federation added: "The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl.
"Here in the United States, Grant's passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game.
"As important, Grant's belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all. Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us."
Wahl wrote in his Substack column on Monday he had visited a medical clinic in Qatar after feeling unwell.
"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you," he wrote.
"What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.
"I didn't have COVID (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis.
"They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno."
US State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed on Friday that talks are ongoing with senior Qatari officials "to see to it that [Wahl's] family's wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible."
Wahl was at the centre of controversy earlier in the World Cup when he was initially prevented from entering Ahmad bin Ali Stadium for the United States v Wales match as was wearing a rainbow shirt. He was eventually allowed into the stadium.
Fernando Santos' decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal's team might have come too late in the eyes of some.
Ronaldo started each of Portugal's World Cup group games in Qatar, though only managed one goal, converting a penalty he won in the opening win over Ghana.
That goal made history, as Ronaldo has often done. He is the only male player to have scored at five World Cups.
Yet after frustrating Santos with his reaction to a South Korea player's taunts in Portugal's final Group H game, Ronaldo found himself on the bench for Tuesday's 6-1 rout of Switzerland.
His replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick, surely ensuring the bench is where Ronaldo will stay for Saturday's quarter-final against Morocco, the fourth African team to make the last eight of a World Cup.
Yet Ronaldo's omission might have afforded another Portuguese youngster (and like Ramos, one who made his name with Benfica) a chance to finally prove his worth.
Struggling to live up to the hype
Joao Felix seemed set to be a superstar when he broke into the Benfica side in the 2018-19 season.
He directly contributed to 22 goals in 26 league appearances, netting 15 and assisting seven, creating 29 chances. Joao Felix was awarded the Primeira Liga's Best Young Player of the Year and the Golden Boy award, and a huge move was on the cards.
Atletico Madrid, cash-rich with the imminent sale of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona, pipped the rest of Europe's elite to the 19-year-old boy wonder, paying a club-record €126million to take him to the Spanish capital.
Yet, for whatever reason, whether that be Diego Simeone's pragmatic approach or Joao Felix suffering the inconsistencies that many young players do, it hasn't quite clicked at Atleti.
He has started only 53 games across three and a half years, and in only one season has he created over 20 chances. Joao Felix's best return for goals and assists combined has been 12, coming in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.
Sure, at times it has looked as though it has started to fall into place, but a player of Joao Felix's talents needs the space and time and tactical flexibility to show what he can do. Too often under Simeone, that has not been the case.
During his time at Atleti, Joao Felix – whose best role falls somewhere between a striker and an attacking midfielder – has played second fiddle to or had to complement Luis Suarez, Alvaro Morata, Griezmann (the man he was brought in to replace, of course) and even Marcos Llorente, before Simeone moved the Spain international to a wide berth.
It has been a similar story on the international stage. Ronaldo has been the player Santos has worked his system around, the entire team geared to getting the best out of international football's record goalscorer.
That has seen Joao Felix often fall to the wayside, what with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Andre Silva and Diogo Jota, who has missed out in Qatar through injury, among the other attackers he has to compete with.
Time to shine
Yet he has been entrusted in Qatar, starting all three of Portugal's truly meaningful matches, scoring in the 3-2 opening win over Ghana. The first two of those starts came alongside Ronaldo, but against Switzerland Joao Felix was placed on the left of a narrow front three that included Ramos and Bruno Fernandes.
Joao Felix thrived. With freedom to drift, he set up two of Portugal's goals, becoming the nation's first player to provide two assists in a World Cup knockout game, and his performance even drew comparisons to Kaka.
It was Joao Felix's neat ball through to Ramos from the half-space on the left side of Switzerland's box that led to Portugal's 17th-minute opener.
Having received the ball on the cusp of the opposition area midway through the second half, Joao Felix had the awareness to get his head up rather than shoot, and the poise to find another perfect pass through to Ramos for Ronaldo's replacement to wrap up his hat-trick.
His 42 touches occurred across the pitch, while he lost possession only seven times, a particularly impressive figure given, of Portugal's players, only Bernardo Silva (15) attempted more passes in the final third than the 23-year-old (11).
Santos must stick to his guns
"I don't think it's mandatory to pass to Cristiano. We try to pass to the player that's available," said Joao Felix when previewing the meeting with Morocco.
"Independent of Cristiano being on the field, we have the same tactics, the ones we've been using for all four games. He has skills that other players have and vice-versa. We, as a team, have our own identity and we focus on that."
Joao Felix might have claimed that the tactics do not change, but it seemed clear against Switzerland that, without Ronaldo in the side, Portugal had found their groove.
The signs had been there even before the World Cup, though. Ronaldo did not feature in a pre-tournament friendly against Nigeria and Portugal won 4-0.
Portugal had 15 shots against the Swiss, and remarkably got nine of those on target and finished with 2.28 expected goals (xG).
In the three matches Ronaldo had started, Portugal had only finished with an xG of 2.0 once – in their opening win over Ghana, and a penalty in that game will have accounted for a large chunk of that value.
With Portugal playing so well against Switzerland, Santos must stand by his decision.
Yes, Ronaldo can still provide great moments, but he can do so off the bench. At 37, this will likely be his last World Cup, if not his final major tournament.
Joao Felix, who could well leave Atleti for pastures new in January, is the future, and he has proved capable of taking up the mantle.
Football goes through phases and cycles where certain trends dictate the sport, whether that's specific formations and systems, or particular player styles.
The World Cup quarter-final between France and England will highlight one such feature of the modern game: the evolution of the striker.
What makes this clash so intriguing in that respect is the presence of three forwards who each represent a different era, with Olivier Giroud, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe likely to attract much of the pre-match focus.
And what's more, there's a strong possibility the game will be decided – or influenced at the very least – by this trio.
Giroud – The throwback
For years the narrative around Giroud has been the suggestion he's "underrated". That discussion has been exhausted to the extent we should all now agree he is simply "rated".
That shouldn't detract from how he's polarised opinion for much of his career, but for the most part this comes down to personal preferences about what a striker should offer or be.
Arsene Wenger, the man who signed Giroud for Arsenal, said it best in 2014 after the striker scored a powerful header in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United: "He is like an English [-style] centre-forward. His first goal he scored was a typical 1970s goal. You saw those headers in the seventies and eighties. You love it because you see it less now."
Fast-forward eight years and Giroud is now France's all-time leading scorer after usurping another former Arsenal star in Thierry Henry.
But as Wenger alluded to, he's almost part of a dying breed.
Since the start of Giroud's breakout season in 2011-12 when he led Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title, only five players have scored more headed goals than him (34) across the top five leagues – that accounts for 28.3 per cent of his non-penalty goals.
While 27 players (minimum 40 goals total) in that time have scored a greater proportion of their non-penalty goals with headers, only one of those – Anthony Modeste (61) – has also netted more than 50 non-headers. Giroud has 86.
This speaks to Giroud's quality as not only a seventies throwback who'll get his head on almost anything, but just generally a reliable penalty-box striker, with his exploits in Qatar a rather succinct summary.
All three of his goals have been scored in the area, and one of those – his second against Australia – was a towering header.
Let's not forget, he was maligned at Russia 2018 because some deemed him to not be a scoring threat. Granted, he ended the tournament with no goals, yet he was a regular throughout the champions' run because of the physical presence he brought working as a kind of attacking pivot.
Four years on, despite looking a likely exclusion this time around, he's thriving in the absence of Karim Benzema.
'Classic' number nines like Giroud aren't particularly fashionable these days. How many of the best developing forwards under the age of 25 come under this umbrella? Not many.
But Giroud proves this sub-genre of striker retains relevancy even if the production line is drying up.
Kane – The playmaker
Kane does share certain strengths with Giroud – after all, he is one of those five strikers to score more headers (35 to 34) in the top five leagues than Giroud over aforementioned period.
But it's fair to say he's a more rounded, refined striker, which of course tallies with the idea of he and Giroud being of different eras in essence.
Jose Mourinho may not have been hugely popular as Tottenham coach, but to his credit, he clearly played a part in Kane redefining himself somewhat.
In November 2020, Kane said: "I think [Mourinho] saw in my game that I like to drop deep so he made it clear to the others that if I do drop deep then they need to be the ones running in behind. I think that's been the real difference. It's allowed me to create space and get the ball but have an option going forward as well. But I think obviously I've still been playing as a nine as well, and I think that's the beauty of what's been working well."
Since Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino 12 months prior to those comments, Kane has averaged 0.24 assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League, double the frequency he had under the Argentinian.
His other creative metrics haven't improved quite as dramatically, with key passes only up from 1.2 to 1.4, for instance. However, his expected assists increase (0.08 per 90, to 0.13 p90) highlights how Kane's general creativity carries greater threat now. Sure, it would seem he's benefiting from good finishing by team-mates, but his playmaking influence has demonstrably grown.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, only Mohamed Salah (747), Bruno Fernandes (641) and Jack Grealish (588) have been involved in more shot-ending sequences in the Premier League than Kane (585), with 289 of those not ending with him having the shot – no out-and-out striker has been more involved in build-up play than Kane.
He's translated that to the World Cup as well. Twelve Opta-defined "strikers" can better his 11 open-play shot-ending sequence involvements, but among them are the likes of Lionel Messi, Memphis Depay and Thomas Muller; players not always picked to lead the line.
No forwards have recorded more involvements in goal-ending sequences than Kane (four), however, with the Spurs star becoming the first England player since David Beckham in 2002 to have three assists at a single World Cup.
Another Golden Boot success might not be on the cards, but you could argue Kane is more integral to England than ever before.
Mbappe – The wide forward
While Kane and Giroud might almost be deemed old-fashioned in some regards, Mbappe represents the archetypal modern forward – and he's essentially the perfect embodiment.
While it's not just 'emerging' players who qualify here, there certainly appears to be a greater concentration of them among a particular age group. So many have similar key characteristics in that they're generally quick, good on the ball and often prefer to play off one of the flanks.
The 'wide forward' role is very much in vogue.
What makes this particularly interesting in relation to Mbappe is that his playing role was apparently a major contributing factor in his reported unhappiness at PSG earlier this season.
While he didn't explicitly confirm that, he outlined what was different between representing France and PSG, where Christophe Galtier has this season often used him as a central striker.
"I play differently for France. I am asked other things [with the national team] compared to my club," he said in September. "I have a lot more freedom here. The coach knows there is a number nine in the side like Olivier [Giroud] who can occupy defences while I walk around and go into space. In Paris, it's different – you don't have that. I am asked to play as a pivot, which is different."
That said, Mbappe's still been able to tally the seventh-most carries (259) across the top five leagues this term, and his total carry progress of 1,562.2 metres is bettered by only Gerard Deulofeu among wingers and forwards, highlighting the fact the France talisman continues to play a vital role in getting PSG up the pitch and on the front foot.
It's a similar story at the World Cup, with his 70 carries fourth behind Lionel Messi (104), Christian Pulisic and Jamal Musiala (both 75) among forwards and wingers.
Clearly, Mbappe's good enough to play either as wide forward or central striker and still thrive. But, as he said in September, it's the freedom offered by the former role that he appears to value, and it certainly doesn't seem to have diminished his effectiveness massively in the box given he's had a hand in seven goals – three more than anyone else – and leads the scoring charts with five.
Understandably, he'll be the one to watch on Saturday. But as Giroud and Kane have already shown at this tournament, you don't have to be explosive to be decisive.
No De'Aaron Fox, no worries for the Sacramento Kings, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 on the road to improve their record to 14-10.
Fox leads the Kings in scoring at 22.8 points per game and could be on track for his first All-Star appearance, but he missed just his second game of the season on Friday with right foot soreness.
His absence was balanced out by the Cavaliers missing Donovan Mitchell, but with the Cavaliers still rolling out All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, as well as Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley, they still had more than enough firepower.
But, lacking a true number-one scoring option, the Kings turned the contest into a slow, low-scoring grind, relying on excellent outside shooting to maximise their limited possessions and pull away with a 27-15 fourth quarter, including a 19-0 run to end the game.
Four of the Kings starters scored at least 18 points each, with Harrison Barnes' 20 points finishing as a team-high, while Domantas Sabonis played a superb all-round game to post 18 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
As a team, Sacramento shot 16-of-33 (48.5 per cent) from three-point range, and six of those makes came from rookie Keegan Murray, scoring all 18 of his points from beyond the arc on just eight attempts.
Speaking after the game, head coach Mike Brown spoke about how it feels to take a road win against the team sitting third in the Eastern Conference.
"That was a big, big, big-time win for us," he said. "When you get a win like that on the road, that’s a sign you have a really good team.
"Now, I hope I’m not jumping the gun on that, but this was my favourite game of the season."
Harrison Barnes added: "To come here after losing to Milwaukee, we kind of wanted to make a statement – and we did."
The Kings have now won 11 of their past 15 games, and have a chance to break into the top-four in the Western Conference if they can handle their business in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving eclipsed 30 points each in the Brooklyn Nets' 120-116 home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
It was also the return of Ben Simmons after a five-game stint on the sidelines, starting and contributing six points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in 21 productive minutes.
Durant top-scored with 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting, while Irving was just as good, scoring 33 on 11-of-21 shooting while chipping in 11 rebounds.
Mostly known for his offense, Durant blocked two shots, raising his season average to 1.7 per game – the eighth-best figure in the league.
Trae Young was solid for the Hawks with 33 points (12-of-25 shooting) and nine assists, but he committed a game-high eight turnovers. He is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 25 points (27.2) and nine assists (9.5).
With the win, the Nets have now taken six of their past seven, improving their record to 15-12 after starting the season 1-5.
Pelicans stay top of the West
Entering the game as the top two teams in the Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans rode a terrific Zion Williamson performance to a 128-117 win against the Phoenix Suns.
Williamson was unstoppable offensively, scoring a game-high 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting, adding seven rebounds and four assists. Of his 20 games this season, it is the ninth time he has scored at least 25 points on 60 per cent shooting.
There are 14 players shooting 59 per cent or better from the field this season, and of those, only Anthony Davis is averaging more field goal attempts per game (17.5) than Williamson's 15.4.
Embiid's early dominance almost goes to waste
Joel Embiid tied the Los Angeles Lakers' whole team in the first quarter with 20 points each, but the Philadelphia 76ers needed an overtime period to come away with a 133-122 win.
Embiid was eight-of-nine from the field in the first quarter for his 20 points, going on to finish with 38 on 14-of-19 shooting, 12 rebounds and five assists. Teammate De'Anthony Melton helped out with a career-high 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting, hitting eight of his 12 three-point attempts.
Anthony Davis continued his strong form with 31 points (nine-of-13 shooting) and 12 rebounds, but he missed a potential go-ahead free throw in the final seconds, before the Lakers were outscored 13-2 in overtime.
Julius Randle looks back to his best as he led the New York Knicks to a 121-102 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday for his side's third consecutive win.
Randle, 28, is slowly rediscovering the form that saw him named to the All-NBA Second Team for the 2020-21 season, rebounding from a slow start to this campaign.
After averaging 18.3 points on 43.8 per cent shooting in October, Randle raised that to 22.2 points per game at 47.1 per cent shooting in November, before taking another step forward in the Knicks' current December winning streak.
In the Knicks' three wins this month, Randle is averaging 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 47.2 per cent from the field and 37.0 per cent from deep on a gaudy nine attempts per contest.
He had a game-high 33 points against the Hornets, hitting four-of-10 from three-point range, while R.J. Barrett produced an efficient 26 points (nine-of-18 shooting) and Jalen Brunson set it all up with 11 points and 11 assists.
Speaking to the media after the game, Barrett kept it short and to the point when hyping up Randle.
"He's cooking," he said. "We need him to keep doing that."
Head coach Tom Thibodeau was willing to expand further on what exactly has changed in Randle's play, and he pointed to his overall effort, including the plays that do not make the highlight reel.
"[Randle] had a play where he was behind the play, beat everyone down the floor, pulled everyone in, and we ended up getting a three on it," he said. "There’s no stat for that, other than it helps you create rhythm for your team.
"He’s made several plays like that when he’s getting double-teams, getting off the ball, moving without the ball, he’s screening off the ball. He’s playing a great all-around game.
"I think that helps set the tone for the team. I thought we played very unselfishly."
Randle believes his terrific form is primarily about his mindset.
"I'm just being aggressive and taking what the defense is giving me," he said. "I'm playing with confidence.
"It's a lot of fun and everybody is in a rhythm. The energy is contagious."
The Knicks have now pulled their record even at 13-13, and are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for the Baltimore Ravens' clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his prospective absence spells trouble for the AFC North leaders.
Jackson was knocked out of last week's win over the Denver Broncos because of a knee injury, which has kept him out of practice all week.
The Ravens listed him as doubtful on Friday, meaning backup Tyler Huntley will likely get the start for 8-4 Baltimore.
History says the Ravens will find victory difficult to come by against Pittsburgh without their former MVP quarterback, even against a 5-7 Steelers team that is a shadow of the former AFC powerhouse it once was.
Indeed, since drafting Jackson in 2018, the Ravens are 45-16 (73.8 win percentage) in games started by Jackson and 6-10 (37.5%) when anyone else starts at quarterback.
And, though the Steelers appear unlikely to make the playoffs, the Ravens are facing Pittsburgh likely without Jackson at a time when their arch rivals are showing signs of life.
The Steelers have won three of their past four games and have not committed a turnover in that stretch. It is the Steelers' longest such streak since turnovers have been tracked in 1950.
Mike Tomlin's Steelers have the edge in recent matchups with the Ravens. They are on a four-game win streak against the Ravens with all four wins coming by five or fewer points.
Only two matchups in NFL history have seen a team beat another five straight times all by fewer than six points (Philadelphia vs. Washington – six, 1992-95 and Raiders vs. Denver – five, 1989-1991).
Past performance from the Ravens suggests Huntley will not be able to end that run. With the Bengals (8-4) breathing down their neck in the division, there is huge onus on him to throw the formbook out of the window in a tough road matchup.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni praised his side for "facing every situation" after watching them come through a penalty shoot-out to see off the Netherlands and secure a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Scaloni's men squandered a 2-0 lead handed to them by a Nahuel Molina strike and a Lionel Messi penalty with two late efforts from Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst sending the match to extra-time and beyond.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved the Netherlands' first two spot-kicks, from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, before Lautaro Martinez slotted home the winning kick to send Argentina through to a last four clash with Croatia.
Scaloni said: "Argentina have team spirit because we know how to face every situation in the game.
"It's true we did not deserve to go to a penalty shoot-out but we fought to the end because the Dutch caused trouble for us.
"It was a strange second half. When you think everything is over and then it is not you are surprised.
"This team has pride, experience as well as young players, and this is key as we want to fight."
The match boiled over on several occasions with Spanish official Antonio Mateu Lahoz setting a World Cup record by issuing 15 cards, 14 yellows and one red – to Denzel Dumfries after the shoot-out – to overtake the previous record of 14, set in 2002 between Cameroon and Germany.
He also seemed to lose control on a couple of occasions with both benches involved in pushing and shoving in the second half of normal time and again after 90 minutes.
Scaloni said: "I don't want to talk about the referee, I have a very good relationship with him and luckily everything turned out well.
"The game was heated, this was a quarter-final, it happens. It stays on the pitch but we had 11 men out there."
Asked if he was surprised at the Netherlands' approach late on of tossing long balls towards Weghorst and fellow substitute Luuk De Jong, Scaloni refused to comment.
He said: "I won't enter this debate. They played in a way I didn't expect but they were almost out of the World Cup, each coach works out how they want to play.
"I won't talk about their philosophy, I am no-one to judge how they played."
Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal now enters retirement having taken charge of the Dutch for a third and final time.
The 71-year-old has been heavily criticised by the country's media for his playing style during the World Cup but insists he bows out with his head held high.
He said: "There's nothing to reproach myself for. The boys fought until the bitter end and now they are in the dressing room feeling despondent. They gave everything, I am incredibly proud.
"I had a wonderful time. It's incredibly painful to go out like this, especially as I did everything I could to prevent this from happening.
"What I am leaving is an excellent group, as people and footballers. I was the coach for 20 games and we didn't lose any of them. There is a reason for that."
The Utah Jazz will receive a boost for Friday's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the form of Mike Conley Jr's return from a nine-game injury absence.
Conley, 35, has not played since November 19, when he left the floor against the Portland Trail Blazers after only playing nine minutes, going on to be diagnosed with a strained muscle near his left knee.
An All-Star in 2021, Conley is posting his lowest point average (10.2 per game) since his rookie season, although his 7.9 assists per game is a new career-high in his 16th campaign.
Speaking to reporters after Friday's shootaround, he implied he was not yet at full capacity, but that the only way he is going to get to that point is by returning to game-speed.
"I've been working, and we're still working through some things, but the only way to get through it is to kind of work your way back in it and test the water," he said.
After trading away franchise players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason, it was meant to be a rough rebuilding year for the Jazz, but they have defied expectations up to this point and sit sixth in the Western Conference at 15-13.
Argentina's progress to the World Cup semi-finals led Lionel Messi to say Diego Maradona is "pushing us from heaven".
Argentina have not won the tournament since Maradona inspired their second triumph in 1986, and this is the first finals since his passing two years ago.
Albiceleste captain Messi has long been compared to the country's other great number 10, with his performances in Qatar encouraging optimism of a long-awaited third title.
Messi provided a sensational assist for Nahuel Molina against the Netherlands in Friday's quarter-final, then doubled his side's lead from the penalty spot.
But Argentina were given a major scare as Wout Weghorst's dramatic double sent the tie to penalties.
Emiliano Martinez made a pair of saves, allowing Argentina to scrape through before celebrating on the pitch in front of their fans – with Maradona prominent in their thoughts.
"We leave that on the pitch with our people," Messi said. "We enjoyed that moment both here and in Argentina.
"People are full of enthusiasm, we are among the four semi-finalists.
"Now we have a weight off our shoulders, and we have been saying this from the beginning: Diego is pushing us from heaven."
Messi knew how close Argentina came to elimination, although he did not feel the match should have gone that far as Weghorst's second goal came from a controversial 101st-minute free-kick.
"There was a lot of disappointment when they drew level, which was very unfair," Messi said. "It came from a set-piece which I didn't think was a foul.
"I don't want to speak about referees, you can be punished and you can't be honest. He wasn't up to the standard and he was hard on us.
"When Lautaro Martinez scored, there was a huge weight off our chests. We could've been out after being 2-0 ahead."
Messi had also been critical of referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in a television interview with beIN SPORTS. Lahoz showed 14 yellow cards and a red in a hot-tempered encounter.
"We feared before the game because we knew about this referee and FIFA should review that," Messi said. "They cannot use a referee like this at this stage of the tournament because he was not in control of the match."
The Cleveland Cavaliers have given their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell the night off Friday, opting to rest the three-time All-Star against the Sacramento Kings on the first night of a home back-to-back.
Mitchell has been nursing an ankle injury for weeks after initially spraining it against the Golden State Warriors on November 11, before tweaking it again on November 28 against the Toronto Raptors.
He missed one game following the Warriors injury, and did not miss any time following the aggravation against the Raptors, averaging 33.3 points per game in the Cavs' three contests leading up to Friday.
But after listing him as questionable for the meeting against the Kings, Cleveland have opted to play it safe and give their new superstar a rest day. Mitchell will likely return for Saturday's home fixture against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Suiting up for 23 of the Cavs' 25 games this season, Mitchell's 29 points per game is the seventh-highest figure in the league, and a new career-high after being traded from the Utah Jazz in the offseason for a bevy of draft picks.
His 42.4 per cent three-point shooting on 9.1 attempts per game has him as one of the league's best shooters this season, as only Stephen Curry (43.2 per cent on 11.8 attempts) is eclipsing 40 per cent on at least nine attempts per game.
Starting in his place will be Caris LeVert, who is averaging 12.1 points, 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in his 14 starts this campaign, while All-Star point guard Darius Garland will be tasked with an increased scoring burden.
Brazil should have no regrets despite their failure to progress beyond the World Cup quarter-finals, says goalkeeper Alisson.
The Selecao drew 1-1 with Croatia after extra time at Education City Stadium on Friday, with Bruno Petkovic having cancelled out Neymar's record-equalling opener.
Brazil could not regain the momentum in the shoot-out, with Rodrygo missing their first penalty and Marquinhos hitting the post with his attempt as Croatia claimed a 4-2 triumph to seal their place in the last four for a second World Cup running.
Alisson was unable to keep out any of Croatia's penalties but he believes Brazil – who will also be under the tutelage of a new coach after Tite reiterated his plan to leave his post – should not reflect too harshly on their performance in Qatar.
"I think what went wrong is that it's football – anything can happen," Alisson said.
"People talked about us as favourites because of what we did on the pitch, because of our performances, because of the quality of our players.
"I said before, we don't have anything to regret, we would not change anything because we fought, prepared ourselves and were ready to try and win the World Cup.
"This is football, things don't always happen the way we want. No regrets, we look forward to the challenge that's in front of us."
Alisson conceded "the frustration is huge" but added: "We are proud of the dedication of each player, of the things we did on the pitch. The performances were really good.
"In my opinion we didn't deserve to lose this game, in the World Cup though there can be penalties and unfortunately we were defeated on that."
Brazil certainly had the better of the match prior to the shoot-out, with Croatia's only shot on target coming when Petkovic's effort deflected in off Marquinhos.
The Selecao had 21 attempts, mustering an expected goals (xG) of 2.55 to Croatia's 0.63.
Alisson's opposite number Dominik Livakovic was in outstanding form, making 11 saves – he was only beaten by Neymar's moment of brilliance, which drew Brazil's talisman level with Pele's record haul of 77 international goals.
Neymar, who might have played his final World Cup match, had to be consoled by his team-mates after the match, while striker Richarlison was in tears when he spoke to the media.
Alisson, though, suggested the setback will only make Brazil's squad grow.
"We're going to have players who have to step up now, show leadership," he added. "We have so many players who can lead a team, so many who do that already, even the young players.
"We have young talents who will improve even more, learn from this World Cup and we have more experienced players as well who can still contribute.
"Now it's difficult to think about the future, because we have so much pain at the moment, but hopefully the future will be bright for us. We have just to take this defeat, learn from that and keep on going."
Virgil van Dijk was left "very hurt" after the Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties by Argentina on Friday.
Goals from Nahuel Molina and Lionel Messi looked to have Argentina coasting to the semi-finals, but substitute Wout Weghorst scored twice late on to force the game into extra time.
Neither team could find a winner in the additional 30 minutes, but Emiliano Martinez saved from Van Dijk and then Steven Berghuis before Lautaro Martinez fired home the deciding spot-kick to knock the Netherlands out.
Van Dijk spoke of his frustration at his team pulling themselves back into the contest, only to lose on penalties.
"I'm very disappointed that we're out of the tournament, after a very eventful game," the Liverpool star told reporters.
"We showed great character, we came back last 15 minutes, got extra time then it's penalties.
"Unfortunately we couldn't get the job done. We're going home. I'm very sad about that, but that's life. We lost on penalties, and that's the thing that is difficult. It's like a lottery.
"We practiced penalties a lot but unfortunately, he [Emiliano Martinez] made two great saves and we're out.
"I think we were confident, but you can't replicate a full stadium where 80,000 fans are whistling against you and a different goalie that you don't face in training."
Netherlands captain Van Dijk took the opening penalty of the shoot-out, only to see his low effort saved by Emiliano Martinez down to the goalkeeper's right.
When asked about his spot-kick after the match, the centre-back said: "I never took it in the Premier League, so it's quite difficult. It's never easy, you're under pressure, but I was looking forward to it, I was ready for it.
"He saved it, fair play to him. Bad for us, bad for me. I'm very sad, but unfortunately things like this happen in life and it's about how you deal with it.
"I'll be very sad for the next period and I'll regroup, be with my family, and think about good things in life.
"These things happen unfortunately, you can miss. But it doesn't mean you feel fine, I'm very hurt and I felt like I let my guys down a bit. It's about turning that feeling into hunger for the rest of the season."
Van Dijk's defensive partner Nathan Ake echoed his skipper's sentiments on the disappointing manner of the Netherlands' exit, having done so well to get back in the game.
"We can be proud. Obviously we wanted more but it wasn't to be," Ake explained. "We stayed in the game, we tried to fight back. In the end, it's painful.
"Maybe in extra time we should've pushed on a bit more, but the legs were a little bit tired."
Ake was also asked for his thoughts on an ill-tempered game that produced 15 cards, more than any other World Cup clash in history.
"That's part of football," Ake added. "They love their country, they want to fight for their country and we have the same. It's an emotional game. Everyone wants to go through.
"In the end, the penalties decided the game and not the referee."
Neymar might have played his final match for Brazil, with the Selecao's joint-record goalscorer suggesting he may not return to the international stage.
Brazil crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to 2018 runners-up Croatia in Doha on Friday.
Their shoot-out heartbreak followed a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Education City Stadium, with Neymar opening the scoring midway through extra time before Bruno Petkovic hauled Croatia level.
Neymar's wonderful goal, which came at the end of a sublime move, took him level with the great Pele on 77 for Brazil.
The 30-year-old had hinted this World Cup might be his last, though with the next Copa America coming in 2024, it had not been expected he would retire.
However, Neymar is uncertain what the future holds, telling reporters: "Honestly, I do not know.
"I think talking now is bad because of the heat of the moment. Maybe I'm not thinking straight.
"To say that this is the end would be rushing myself, but I don't guarantee anything either. Let's see what happens going forward.
"I want to take this time to think about it, think about what I want for myself. I will not close the door to playing with Brazil, and I do not say 100 per cent that I'll come back."
Brazil have been eliminated from four of their past five World Cup quarter-finals, while they have lost their last six knockout games against European nations since a 2-0 victory over Germany in the 2002 final.
The Selecao are the first side in World Cup history to go out after taking the lead in extra time of a knockout match.
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