He might be a little late to the party but Leo Messi has arrived at the 2018 World Cup.The 31-year-old superstar scored a brilliant opener in Argentina's dramatic 2-1 victory over Nigeria on Tuesday night.Messi and his Argentina teammates qualified for the knockout stages thanks to a late Marcos Rojo winner - and they'll face France in the last-16 on Saturday afternoon.“We’ve watched every single France game," Messi told reporters after beating Nigeria, as per The Telegraph."They have very good individual players, they have very fast players who can really make a difference."And I have team-mates I know very well in the front and back line [Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele]. I know what they are I know what we’ll have to do.”He was at his sparkling best on the pitch but Messi has since been lauded for a beautiful moment with an Argentine journalist.

Touching moment in mixed zone

A clip involving Messi following Argentina's win over Nigeria has gone viral online.

The Barcelona forward was given a lucky red amulet by an Argentine journalist - Rama Pantorotto - following their disappointing 1-1 draw with Iceland.

In the mixed zone late on Tuesday night, Messi stopped for a quick interview with the very same journalist.

Pantorotto asked Argentina's captain "if he threw it [the amulet] away or something" before Messi pointed down to his ankle and told him he wore the red amulet during the game.

The journalist could barely believe it and celebrated after Messi departed: "Mum... Messi wore it."

Heartwarming from Messi.

He's still yet to win a major international trophy and will take all the luck he can get in order to achieve glory this summer.

Pantorotto confirmed the story on his Twitter page.

Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli praised Messi's "human side" after leading his country to their first World Cup win in Russia.

“Every time Messi plays, he shows he’s a fantastic player, above everyone else,” Sampaoli said, as per the Independent.

“He needs support from his team-mates, only then will he be able to play at his best like he did today.

“His human side is amazing.

"He feels, he cries, he suffers, he is happy when Argentina win. It is very important to share those feelings with the rest of the world. I know him, I have seen him happy, sad, in crisis times, in positive times.

"People say that he doesn’t enjoy playing for Argentina, but he suffers like the rest of the fans. That makes him even greater.”

How will Messi and Argentina fare against France on Saturday? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.