Lionel Messi has eased worries around his fitness and insisted he feels ‘very good’ ahead of Argentina’s World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia today.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is hoping to complete his incredible list of accomplishments by winning the tournament, but he has been training alone as a precaution after struggling with an ankle issue.

The forward’s right ankle was pictured swollen in training – but Messi himself has insisted he is fine and ready to play in their opening match.

“I feel very good physically,” he said. “I think I’m arriving at a great moment, both personally and physically. I don’t have any problems.”

According to Diario AS, Messi re-joined the rest of the team for training on Monday, but his ankle looked far from healthy just a day out from his side’s opening game.

The forward missed games for club side Paris Saint-Germain in the build-up to the tournament with an Achilles issue, but his enflamed ankle suggests he could be struggling with a fresh problem.

It is thought the problem could be being exaggerated due to the 35-year-old not having a ligament in his ankle.

It could also be due to Messi having extra protection on, with the picture showing the forward in socks and boots.

According to The Athletic, Messi was applauded out of his pre-match conference by journalists, with shouts of ‘Vamos Leo’ heard from the assembled crowd.

Argentina, who are one of the favourites to win the tournament, will also face Mexico and Poland in Group D.

Wojciech Szczesny is backing team-mate, Robert Lewandowski, to make a huge impact at Qatar 2022.

Despite his prolific record for club and country, Poland striker Lewandowski is yet to score at a World Cup finals.

Poland failed to qualify for the tournament in 2010 and 2014, before slumping out at the group stage in 2018 after scoring just two goals.

Goalkeeper Szczesny sees that as a big anomaly for a player who boasts a fantastic record in the game.

Lewandowski, 34, is Poland’s all-time record goalscorer with 76 strikes in 134 appearances, 13 of which came in the Qatar qualification campaign.

He has also scored 18 goals in all competitions this season for Barcelona, the club he joined in the summer after bagging 344 goals in eight years at Bayern Munich.

Speaking at a press conference, Juventus keeper Szczesny said: “It’s definitely a very important tournament to him. I can see that he is very motivated for this championship.

“There is no doubt that he is, if not the best, then one of them. He would like to fulfil his ambitions not only at the club level but also with the national team.

“I hope that years later we will remember Robert’s great performance at the World Cup in Qatar.”

Poland face Mexico in their Group C opener at Doha’s Stadium 974 today.

With tests against one of the tournament favourites in Argentina and Saudi Arabia to come, Szczesny recognises the importance of making a good start.

The former Arsenal player said: “The first game is crucial. I think Mexico are a team of a similar class to ours. They have great players.

“I think we are well prepared, we have done a good analysis, but all the theory has to be transferred to the pitch and play a good game. We can win, but we can also lose, so it will be interesting.”

Cristiano Ronaldo believed his explosive TV interview, in which the Manchester United forward said he had been betrayed by the club and was being forced out, had not been a distraction in the Portugal changing room in the World Cup.

The Portugal captain said that he is not worried about how his actions will impact the squad, adding that he feels great about their chances of winning the World Cup.

“In my life, the best timing is always my timing,” Ronaldo told a news conference yesterday .”I don’t have to think about what other people think. The players know me really well for many years and know the type of person I am.

“It’s an ambitious group that is hungry and focused. So I’m sure it (the interview) won’t shake the changing room’s concentration and focus.”

Referring to himself in the third person, Ronaldo said that “everything related to him will always spark criticism and controversy.”

The 37-year-old Ronaldo confirmed that the awkward handshake between him and attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes that was caught on camera and went viral was the result of a joke between the Portugal and United team mates.

“My relationship with him (Fernandes) is excellent,” Ronaldo said. “I was joking with him. His plane arrived late and I asked if he had come by boat. That’s it.

“The environment in the changing room is excellent. No problems. The group is shielded. And I take this opportunity to say: stop asking about me.”

After missing Thursday’s friendly against Nigeria in Lisbon due to a stomach problem, Ronaldo has been training as usual with team mates since arriving in Qatar on Friday and he said he feels in shape.

“I’m feeling great, I’m recovered and I’m training well and ready to start the World Cup in the best way possible,” Ronaldo said.

“I feel that this Portugal squad has amazing potential. I think we can win for sure, but we need to focus on the next game. So, it’s focusing in Ghana, get a win and go from there.

“We will see in the end who the best team is, but I believe Portugal is the best team in this World Cup. But we need to show it on the pitch.”

Portugal is in World Cup Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Holland seized the advantage in World Cup Group A as goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen sealed a 2-0 win over African champions Senegal.

The Lions of Teranga are missing their talisman, Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane, at this tournament and though they battled hard, could not find a way past the debutant Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert.

The win puts the Oranje, three times World Cup finalists, in a strong position in the group, with matches against Ecuador and hosts Qatar to come.

A disappointing match at Al Thumama Stadium was played in front of plenty of empty seats, despite organisers’ claims that the country is gripped by World Cup fever.

However, the attendance was given as 41,721 – more than the stadium is actually listed to hold.

Arguably the best chance of the first half fell to Barcelona playmaker Frenkie De Jong in the 19th

Steven Bergwijn played an eye-of-the-needle angled pass to Steven Berghuis bursting forward in the inside right channel, and Berghuis squared it to De Jong with the goal seemingly at his mercy.

But the man who Manchester United tried, and ultimately failed, to sign in the summer overplayed it and Cheikhou Kouyate cleared.

Watford forward Ismaila Sarr had Senegal’s two most presentable chances either side of De Jong fluffing his lines.

Senegal pressed high and forced an error from Noppert and the ball eventually broke to Sarr, who curled over. Sarr then cut inside Denzel Dumfries to find space to shoot on the edge of the box.

This time his effort was goal-bound but Virgil Van Dijk was able to head it over.

The Dutch were living dangerously again when a De Jong pass from his own goal-line caught Van Dijk unawares, but Senegal were unable to punish them.

Van Dijk headed over from a Gakpo corner seven minutes into the second period before Memphis Depay – back from a hamstring injury – came on as a 62nd -minute substitute.

Three minutes later Senegal came close to going ahead when Boulaye Dia’s low shot arrowed toward the corner, but Noppert got down well at his near post to turn it away.

Senegal then lost Kouyate to an injury, with the Nottingham Forest man needing a stretcher after appearing to land awkwardly.

The goal the Dutch craved arrived with six minutes of normal time to go, as De Jong swung in a ball from the left and Gakpo beat Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to it to head home. It was no less than the PSV Eindhoven man deserved after an impressive performance.

Substitute Pape Gueye almost responded instantly for Senegal, but again Noppert got down well to a low shot.

Eight minutes of injury time were added, and the Dutch sealed victory in the final seconds when Mendy spilled a shot from Depay, and substitute Klaassen followed up to slot home the rebound.

Belgium have been forced to change their away jersey for the World Cup in Qatar as FIFA has demanded they remove the world ‘LOVE’ from it.

After Belgium, along with England, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland, dropped their plans to have their captain wear an armband with ‘OneLove‘ written on it, the Red Devils had to go one step further by covering a message on their jerseys. They will also not be allowed to wear the colourful shirts they intended to wear during warmups, despite no such message appearing on them.

“The word LOVE must disappear. It’s sad, but FIFA leaves us no choice,” Peter Bossaert, president of the Belgian Football Association (RBFA), told Nieuwsblad. “The rest of the equipment remains unchanged.”

The RBFA, just like the other associations involved in the OneLove armband campaign, were willing to risk fines for their players donning the messages. However, their decision changed when FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the message.

Roberto Martinez’s team will begin their World Cup campaign with a match against Canada on Wednesday. (Goal)