After years of several defeats in multiple finals, Lionel Messi finally had a good night’s sleep with the most significant victory in his arms
December 18 is a date that will forever remain etched in the history books of football and especially in the hearts of Lionel Messi fans. After all, it is the date on which the Atomic Flea finally fulfilled his dream of winning the FIFA World Cup in the Argentina t-shirt.
While the greatest victory of Messi’s life became the showstopper of the stadium, one must not forget that the 2022 edition of the World Cup witnessed Messi breaking multiple records. Given that each second of the game versus France is recorded in the minds of football enthusiasts, to celebrate the day, we have recalled ten records that Messi broke throughout the tourney.
The final FIFA World Cup 2022 game was Lionel Messi’s 26th World Cup. This was a new record in the World Cup, given that the earlier record for most World Cup appearances belonged to Germany’s Lothar Matthaus, who had retired with 25 World Cup appearances.
No player has won the Golden Ball, i.e., the Player of the Tournament, twice in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Messi won it in 2014, and in 2022, he was again handed over the award for a record second time.
Messi was awarded the Man of the Match award in five out of seven matches during the FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign. These numbers took his total tally in the tournament to 11, the new maximum, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of seven Man of the Match awards. Not to forget, Messi also created the record of winning the most number of Man of the Match awards in a single edition, i.e., five awards.
No player had ever won FIVE man of the match awards at a single World Cup before.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 18, 2022
Messi did it at 35 🐐 pic.twitter.com/30RPUpWcXD
When it comes to the highest goal scorers in World Cup history, Messi is the fourth joint top scorer with 13 goals. However, in terms of overall goal contribution (goals + assists), Messi created the record with 21 goal contributions.
In 2022, Lionel Messi captained all the seven games that Argentina played. This made him the most experienced skipper in the World Cup, with 19 matches under his watch as Argentina’s captain, the highest in the tourney.
Lionel Messi has played in five World Cups since 2006. Unfortunately, he has scored in every World Cup except 2010. However, in terms of assists, he has provided at least one in every World Cup, i.e., 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, creating a record.
Messi also created the record for playing the most World Cups for Argentina.
Group stage, round of 16, or other stages—name it, and Lionel Messi has scored a goal in every stage. By doing so, he has become the first player to score in every round of the World Cup in its present format.
Finally, the tenth record that Messi broke was the record for most goals scored by an Argentine player in the tourney. Earlier, Gabriel Batistuta held the record (10 goals), but Messi now has 13 goals. If he plays in the 2026 World Cup, he is likely to increase this tally.
