Lionel Messi shines on eve of World Cup

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — Note: This is story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.

Happy World Cup Eve all!

We’re just one day away from action getting underway and I personally can’t wait until the soccer takes center stage. It’s been a testing week for organizers as we tip-toe closer to that opening match, but the teams have been busy putting the finishing touches on their preparations.

Lionel Messi also reminded us of what he can do, the FIFA president has been busy cracking jokes and a tiny Caribbean island has been having a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

‘Messi Mania’ alive and kicking as soccer legend stars in warmup win

When watching Lionel Messi win the World Cup with Argentina at Qatar 2022, I couldn’t have been the only one thinking this was the perfect time for him to retire from international soccer.

And yet here I am, three and a half years later, writing newsletters about Messi starring in warmup matches before this summer’s tournament.

My CNN Sports colleague Patrick Snell was in Alabama to watch the Argentinian legend play last night and had this to report back:

Even at one of college football’s most storied venues, Messi is still the hottest ticket in town. Over the years, I’ve covered Premier League title deciders, Champions League finals, even World Cup finals, but there’s always something special when Argentina’s global icon takes to the pitch.

Watching the 38-year-old magician play at close quarters is always a joy and a privilege, and last night at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium was no exception.

Reigning world champion Argentina overcame Iceland 3-0 in its final tune-up ahead of its title defense, but the game was all about one man.

Not even thunderstorms, lightning and a huge deluge before kickoff could deter Messi and the 88,000 fans who showed up. The Inter Miami star started the game on the bench as he continued his recovery from a muscle injury, but every time his face flashed up on the giant screens inside the stadium, the roar was deafening.

Chants of “Messi, Messi” were ringing around the stadium until, with just 20 minutes to go, those fans finally got their wish.

Amid a cauldron of noise, Messi was off the bench and onto the field of play. The Albiceleste had looked ordinary up to that point, but the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner soon changed that.

Within seconds, he’d played a defense-splitting through ball for Lautaro Martínez who was upended in the box. Messi smashed home the subsequent penalty before also playing his part in his team’s third goal.

“Messi Mania” is alive and well in Alabama and, after seven straight wins, you suspect Argentina may now be quietly confident of becoming just the third team in history to win back-to-back titles.

Quote of the day

The words from none other than FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who safe to say is probably being kept quite busy this week…

Infantino was speaking at a star-studded World Cup launch event in Los Angeles on Tuesday and, according to Reuters, joked that the City of Angels would become “invaded” by soccer fans during the tournament.

“Men, women, children, grandparents, doesn’t matter, they will all have their faces colored with the colors of their countries,” he added.

To be fair, he’s probably not wrong.

Ronaldo watch in Portugal

We had Messi yesterday and now we’ll have the chance to watch Cristiano Ronaldo today. The Portuguese star will likely play a role in his team’s final warmup game, as the Seleção comes up against Nigeria.

The match is being played in Portugal before Ronaldo and Co. fly out to North America. Portugal’s first group game will be against DR Congo on June 17 in Houston, meaning Ronaldo’s minutes against Nigeria might be limited to avoid injury.

Given this has been the one trophy that’s eluded him so far, you feel Ronaldo will be desperate to perform this summer.

WATCH: A Somali referee was denied US entry ahead of the World Cup

Curaçao brings ‘the vibes’

It’s fair to say there’s quite a lot of iffy vibes circling this tournament off the field, so let’s focus on something positive on the pitch.

Let me do that by introducing you to your new favorite team at the World Cup: Curaçao. The tiny Caribbean island country is set to become the smallest nation by population to ever compete at the men’s tournament. And, while The Blue Wave’s chances of winning the World Cup are very slim, the team has been enjoying every second of the experience so far.

The squad has been very active on social media in the buildup to the tournament, recently sharing videos of players dancing and singing as they walked out for their first practice session in their Florida base.

“We brought the vibes,” the Instagram caption read. It’s enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.

You can read more about Curaçao on CNN here.

CNN Sports picks its players to watch at this year’s World Cup

We like to think we know what we’re talking about here at CNN Sports, so we’ve put together a list of four players – plus some honorable mentions – we think will thrive at the World Cup this year.

Take a look here (and feel free to tell us how wrong we all are).

The Final Whistle: What ICE is doing at the World Cup

One of the many controversies and concerns from fans heading into this summer’s tournament was the role that ICE would play. My CNN colleague Priscilla Alvarez has done some digging on the issue and has this to report:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to have a presence at the World Cup, but officials insist the focus will be on security, not rounding up undocumented immigrants.

Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE, generally has a presence at sporting events, including the Super Bowl, to crackdown on counterfeit goods as well as combat trafficking. An ICE spokesperson told CNN that their mission will remain the same during the World Cup.

“ICE and HSI will be working with local and federal partners to secure the FIFA World Cup,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “They will play a pivotal role in combatting human trafficking as well as stopping counterfeit merchandise and counterfeit ticket sales.”

Homeland Security officials have tried to tamp down concerns from fans in the lead up to the tournament, fueled by the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement campaign.

“International visitors who legally come to the United States for the World Cup have nothing to worry about,” said DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis in a statement.

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