Lionel Messi: Argentina captain needed less than 2 minutes to open scoring against Australia | WATCH

He's called the magician, and rightly so.

Lionel Messi took less than 2 minutes to score a fantastic goal against Australia during their friendly match in Beijing.

Cutting inside to his left, Messi latched on to a pass by Enzo Fernandez, took a lovely touch and then finished in his trademark style, a curler into the top left corner past keeper Mathew Ryan.

LEO MESSI. WHAT A GOAL!

INSIDE TWO MINUTES 🇦🇷🐐 pic.twitter.com/etyJibEwCc

— Sara 🦋 (@SaraFCBi) June 15, 2023

Messi's sublime finish came only days after the Argentine superstar revealed that he doesn't think he will play in the 2026 World Cup, citing his age as a problem.

However, coach Lionel Scaloni has played down the news, stating that there's a lot of time to go before the next World Cup and a decision will only be made then. He, however, reiterated that Messi still is playing at the top of his game.

Messi's brilliant finish in Beijing comes only days after he was detained at the airport by the Chinese police due to passport confusion. He was allowed to leave the premises after it took the authorities 30 minutes to sort the issue out.

The Argentina Captain was the star of the show in Qatar, leading his side from the front when La Albiceleste beat Kylian Mbappe's France in the penalty shootout.

Messi, who will join MLS side Inter Miami after leaving PSG as a free agent, found support from Mbappe over his decision to leave the Paris club. Calling Messi the greatest football player, Mbappe stated the 35-year-old didn't get the respect he deserved at the club.

Speaking to an Italian newspaper, the French forward said, 'We're talking about potentially the best player in the history of soccer. It's never good news when someone like Messi leaves.'

He went on to add, 'Personally, I haven't really understood why so many people were relieved that he was leaving. We're talking about Messi: he should be respected but instead, he didn't get the respect he deserved in France. It's a pity, but that's how it went. The club will have to do what they can to replace him.'