Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, and Andres Guardado, Messi is one of only six players to have participated in five World Cups.
Messi and Lothar Matthaus have both participated in the most World Cups (25). If he participates in the championship, “La Pulga Atomica” will take the overall lead. In his 18 World Cup appearances as captain, Messi has set a record. Rafa Marquez (17) and Diego Maradona come after him (16). Paolo Maldini has logged 2,217 of the World Cup’s total playing time. Messi, who has 2,194 points, could beat the Italian in the Qatar 2022 championship game.
Only Messi has contributed an assist in five World Cups. Pele, Grzegorz Lato, Diego Maradona, and David Beckham are his main rivals because they each scored in three games. The record for the most assists in the knockout stage is shared by Pele and Messi (6). With 11 goals, Messi is joint-leading scorer for Argentina in the World Cup. Gabriel Batistuta (10), Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes (6), and Gonzalo Higuain follow him in the rankings (5).
The only player to score in the World Cup while a teenager, an adult, and a senior is Messi. Pele was four months away from accomplishing the same thing. 16 years and 180 days passed between Messi’s first and most recent World Cup goals. The next-longest career span belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has participated in the World Cup for 16 years and 160 days.
Messi has received the Player of the Match award an unprecedented 10 times since it was first given out in 2002. Wesley Sneijder and he both received four in Brazil 2014, which is a record for one edition. Sneijder received the same number in South Africa in 2010. Miroslav Klose participated in 17 championship World Cup games. Messi has 16 at the moment.