The world will be watching Lionel Messi as he leads Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Argentine star is 36 years old, but he’s still one of the most dominant players in the game. And with his age, there’s no telling how many records he can break at this tournament. Here are a few that could be on their way:
1. Most World Cup Tournaments Scored In
Messi could join the exclusive list of 4 players to have scored at 4 different World Cups.
If Lionel Messi scores a goal during this year’s World Cup, he will join the ranks of four other legendary players, including Pele, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose, and Cristiano Ronaldo, as the fifth player in history to accomplish this feat.
2. Most World Cup Appreanace for Argentina
Lionel Messi is only the second player in the history of Argentina to have appeared 19 times in four different FIFA World Cups.
His compatriot Diego Maradona is the only other player in Argentina’s history to have accomplished this feat.
As soon as Messi plays in his first World Cup game, he will unquestionably establish himself as Argentina’s all-time leader in terms of World Cup appearances.
3. Argentina’s all-time best goal-scorer in World Cups
Lionel Messi has competed in all four World Cups, and in each of those competitions, he has scored six goals.
Messi is only four goals away from surpassing Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s all-time leading goal-scorer in World Cup competition.
4. Most World Cup Assists For Argentina
The only player to have more assists than Messi at a World Cup is Maradona, who has six. Messi has five.
If Messi records an additional three assists throughout the course of this World Cup, he will have achieved yet another milestone.
5. Player With Most World Cup Minutes
If Argentina advance further in this competition, Lionel Messi will surpass Paolo Maldini’s record of 2,217 minutes played to become the player with the most minutes played in World Cup history.
Messi currently has a total of 1,624 minutes played in World Cup competition.
6. Most Victory As Captain
Lionel Messi has led Argentina to 12 victories in the World Cup while serving as the team’s captain.
If Argentina advances to the quarterfinals of the competition this year, Lionel Messi will surpass Rafael Marquez, who currently holds the record for most victories as a captain in the competition.
