At 11 pm Beijing time on the 18th, in addition to the final final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, it was also the "last dance" of Argentina's Lionel Messi career in the World Cup. This game, in addition to whether Messi can realize his dream of winning the championship and make his career have no regrets, there are 5 records waiting for him to break.
After Croatia's semifinals, Argentina's king Messi scored one goal and one assist, breaking several more records. As the saying goes, "Records are meant to be broken!" This phrase usually refers to the record achieved by a legendary player, who was broken by a later superior and achieved a new milestone. However, this World Cup by Messi, a 35-year-old veteran of football, continues to surpass the previous records one after another, ask you if you are convinced!
The most appearances in World Cup history
The young Messi has participated in five World Cup competitions since 2006, successfully qualifying for the knockout stages in each edition, and playing seven games in two editions. As the first brother of Argentina in this generation, Messi's playing record has been accumulating. In the semi-finals, Messi's playing record rose to 25 games, tied with West Germany's former German captain Mateus. If nothing else, Messi will win the 26th World Cup game of his career in this World Cup final, and enjoy this glory exclusively.
The most playing time in World Cup history
Also a record for appearances, Messi has played a total of 2,194 World Cup minutes in his career up to the Round of 4, the second highest in World Cup history, behind legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini with 2,217 minutes. Although Messi is rumored to have injured his left hamstring, he only needs to play 23 minutes in the championship game to become the new record holder.
The most involved in the offensive in the history of the World Cup
Since the 1996 World Cup finally had a relatively sound statistical database, a total of 4 players were able to participate in 19 team goals in their World Cup career, namely 16 goals and 3 assists by German superstar Miroslav Klose; Brazil's Ronaldo "Alien" Nazario's 15 goals and 4 assists; German legend striker Gerd Mueller has 14 goals and 5 assists, and Messi has 11 goals and 8 assists. Therefore, as long as Messi can score a goal in Argentina in the championship, he will surpass these stars.
Messi has scored or assisted in 13 games in five World Cups, equalling Ronaldo. Considering that Messi has accumulated 5 goals and 3 assists as of the last 4 of this World Cup, he should have a chance to set a new record in the championship.
The Argentine player who scored the most goals in the World Cup
A draw from the penalty spot broke Livakovic, who became famous for his penalty shootout, and Messi officially became the player in Argentina's history to score the most goals in the World Cup.
Although Messi has appeared in the World Cup many times, he has not scored more goals than other goalscorers in the world. Before the kick-off, Maradona's eight-goal and Batistutta's record of 10 goals were still ahead of Messi. In the past six games, Messi has accumulated 5 goals, equaling and surpassing the above two legendary stars in a row.
Interestingly, at the peak of Messi's career, there were several center forwards who made a name for themselves in Europe, such as Aguero, Higuain and Carlos Tevez, but they often failed to deliver performances in major competitions. On the contrary, this year, not only Messi pushed his personal record to another peak, but also brought Alvarez, a young player. At Alvarez's current age of only 22 and three World Cups before the age of 34, it is definitely possible to catch up with Messi's record in the future.
The most wins in World Cup history
Finally, Messi has helped Argentina win five of the current World Cup, bringing a total of 18 victories in his career, which equals Klose who has participated in the World Cup four times. If Argentina can beat France in this championship, not only will they lift the Hercules Cup for the first time in 36 years, but Messi will also be the player with the most wins in history.