Adani, there’s a big game to cover before welcoming Lionel Messi back

He wasn’t commentating, but Lionel Messi still managed to thrill him. Daniele Adani watched Argentina’s victory over Algeria from his hotel in New York—a match that made history thanks to the No. 10’s hat trick, which tied him with Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring list.

The former defender and current RAI commentator recounted his evening through a series of posts on social media: he watched Messi’s first goal while having dinner, and followed the other two goals from his hotel room. After the third goal—the record-breaking one—Adani collapsed onto the hotel carpet, feigning fainting, a reaction that quickly went viral and once again confirmed his admiration for the Argentine star.

Before returning to commentate on Argentina’s matches, however, Adani will be taking on another World Cup challenge. On Saturday, June 20, at 10:00 p.m., he will be behind the microphone for Rai’s broadcast of Germany vs. Ivory Coast, alongside Alberto Rimedio. The match will be broadcast live on both Rai and DAZN, where the commentary will be handled by Andrea Marinozzi and Fabio Bazzani.

In recent days, Adani had already sparked controversy during his commentary on the France-Senegal match, praising Kylian Mbappé after his goal sealed the 3-1 victory and calling him “the King.” Some of his comments—including criticism of referee Alireza Faghani and a call for a penalty kick for France—sparked the usual debate on social media, dividing the public between supporters and detractors.

To hear Adani’s take on Messi again, however, we’ll have to wait a few more days. Argentina’s next match is scheduled for Monday, June 22, against Austria, but in the meantime, the RAI commentator will focus his attention on the match between Germany and Ivory Coast, another important fixture in the World Cup group stage.