Lionel Messi stole the show when Copa America holders Argentina powered to a 3-0 win against European champions Italy at the Finalissima in Wembley on Wednesday.

Argentina, inspired by the unbeatable Messi, scored two goals in the first half in a prestigious friendly match by Lautaro Martinez and Angela Di Maria.

Paulo Dybala ended Argentina's defeat, but after an unsatisfactory season in Paris Saint-Germain due to his high standards, Messi's return gained attention at best.

The attacking 34-year-old player has two assists and deserves his unique performance in one of the largest football cathedrals.

Thrown into the wind by his lucky teammates after the final whistle, Messi said: "Today is a nice test because Italy is a good team. We know it's a great match and a great situation where we have to become champions.

“It was a beautiful final, full of Argentines. What we experienced here was beautiful."

For Argentina, which qualified for the World Cup this year, it was an unforgettable moment when it extended the golden light of the victory against Brazil, which ended their 28-year wait for Copa America in 2021.

Argentina has already established itself as one of the main competitors for winning the World Cup, and defeat with Italy was another declaration of La Albiceleste, which was not defeated in 32 matches.

If Messi can play in Qatar at this level, Lionel Scaloni's team could be the force to be reckoned with when chasing the first World Cup title since 1986.

“Everything changed after the Copa America. Now we are enjoying ourselves and things are happening much more easily. We are excited but must keep our feet on the ground," Di Maria said.

For Italy, it was an unsatisfactory return to Wembley 11 months after beating England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

Robert Mancini's team has fallen sharply since this win. They failed to qualify for the World Cup after suffering a humiliating defeat with Northern Macedonia in the semifinals of the playoffs.

After defeating the World Cup, Mancini moved to the younger generation and his real goal was the upcoming League of Nations matches against Germany, England and Hungary.

Mancini's correction began effectively during the break when Italy said goodbye to Captain Giorgi Chiellini with 117 matches, who was replaced in his last match for the national team pension.

“They were better than us. We were in the game in the first half but didn’t do enough to turn it around after the break," Mancini said.

MESSI MASTERPIECE

It was only the third Finalissima match between the respective European and South American champions and the first since Argentina's Diego Maradona defeated Denmark in 1993.

That's right, Messi - the successor to the legendary Maradona - took the opportunity to remind the world of his great talent.

The 87,000 spectators sold created a colorful backdrop for Messi's abilities as energetic Argentine fans moved from the north London suburb of Brent to Buenos Aires for the night of honor.

Every touch of Messi increased the decibel level and played an important role when Argentina took the lead in the 28th minute.

Messi performed his spell on the sidelines and showed great strength to stop Giovanni Di Lorenzo before opening a neat low center to Martinez, who asked to end the touch from close range.

In the first half hour of the break, Martinez drove forward with solid force and received a pass with full weight on Di Maria, while the PSG forward amused Donnarumma.

Di Maria was about to hit the clock again, but his curler was obviously repulsed by Donnarumma as he crawled into the far corner.

Messi was unstoppable, robbing Jorginh and embarking on a shocking ride that ended in rescuing Donnarumma.