If you are playing FIFA World Cup Fantasy and you do not have Lionel Messi on your team at this point, what are you even doing? Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to? Because the man is out here casually racking up double-digit points like it is a hobby he picked up over the weekend.
The Round of 16 wrapped up with the kind of drama that makes you spill your coffee, and the Fantasy scores tell the whole story. Let's start with Argentina versus Egypt, because holy moly what a ride. With twelve minutes left, the defending champions were staring elimination in the face. But champions do champion things, and Argentina staged an incredible comeback to win 3-2. Who was at the center of it all? Surprise, surprise—Messi, with a goal and an assist, good for 11 Fantasy points at $10m. The man is basically printing money at this point. Mostafa Zico ($4.2m) and Enzo Fernandez ($7.5m) both chipped in with 10 points each for their respective sides, making them the budget heroes we all needed.
On the flip side, if you had Emiliano Martinez ($5m) or Lisandro Martinez ($4.6m) in your backline, you were probably not thrilled—they managed just 1 point each. And Mohamed Salah ($10m) only mustered 2 points, which is the Fantasy equivalent of ordering a steak and getting a crouton.
Then came Switzerland versus Colombia, and if you love goals, this was NOT the match for you. Zero goals after 120 minutes, penalties decided it 4-3 for Switzerland, and it was the defensive players who cleaned up in Fantasy. Gregor Kobel ($4.7m) was the man of the hour with 10 points—penalty shootout heroes always get the love. Johan Mojica ($3.9m) and Nico Elvedi ($4.3m) grabbed 9 points each. Meanwhile, Luis Suarez ($5.7m) and Breel Embolo ($7.5m) were busy doing absolutely nothing for 1 and 2 points respectively.
With the quarter-finals coming up, Fantasy managers have four transfers to play with and some serious strategizing to do. France versus Morocco is next, and the decisions you make now could define your entire tournament. Choose wisely, friends.
