Overview
- Cardoso made the comments in a Sport1 interview on Tuesday ahead of Argentina's World Cup semifinal with England on Wednesday.
- He said teammates give "a few percent more" because each match could be Messi's last for the national team, and he trusts Messi to deliver despite the player's age.
- Cardoso noted pre-tournament doubts about Messi's fitness have been eased as Messi continues to score at a top level.
- Messi enters the semifinal tied with Kylian Mbappé on eight goals, a statistic Cardoso used to underline Messi's ongoing influence.
- Cardoso framed his view as pundit commentary rather than an official team position and said Argentina's mentality and willingness to shoulder responsibility help compensate for uneven play.