Lionel Messi World Cup stats: Goals, assists, records and 2026 World Cup milestones

Few individuals person influenced the sporting satellite successful the aforesaid mode arsenic Lionel Messi, with the Argentine reaching the pinnacle of the crippled successful 2022 by finally lifting the World Cup.

Now 38, Messi is heading into what galore expect to beryllium his last World Cup, giving him 1 past accidental to adhd to an already bonzer bequest connected football's biggest stage.

With 26 appearances, 2 finals, 2 Golden Balls and 1 World Cup triumph to his name, fewer players successful past tin rival Messi's interaction astatine the sport's astir prestigious tournament.

Sports Mole presents a afloat breakdown of his World Cup statistics, the records helium has acceptable on the mode and the ones helium is adjacent to breaking.

How galore goals has Lionel Messi scored astatine the World Cup?

Messi made his World Cup debut successful 2006, with the fresh-faced teen coming disconnected the seat during Argentina's 2nd group-stage lucifer against Serbia & Montenegro.

As it turns out, this was a debut to remember, with Messi not lone mounting up Hernan Crespo for Argentina’s 4th extremity of the crippled but besides scoring himself to marque it 6-0.

The South American broadside were eliminated successful the quarter-final stage, but Messi had undoubtedly made his people with a drawstring of promising performances. 

The 2010 variation was a batch little memorable for Messi, who failed to people a azygous extremity arsenic his broadside were erstwhile again dumped retired successful the quarters - this clip pursuing a thumping nonaccomplishment to Germany.

Four years later, Messi returned to the World Cup arsenic Argentina skipper and led from the front, scoring 4 goals and winning the Golden Ball grant arsenic the tournament's champion player.

Argentina reached the final, but Messi's imagination of World Cup glory was erstwhile again denied by Germany, who claimed the trophy acknowledgment to Mario Gotze's extra-time winner.

After coming truthful adjacent successful Brazil, expectations were precocious arsenic the World Cup headed to Russia successful 2018.

However, determination was much heartbreak for Messi, who scored conscionable 1 extremity arsenic his men were eliminated successful the round-of-16 - the earliest that Argentina had ever been dumped out.

It was not until 2022 that Messi yet got his breakthrough. An iconic World Cup tally saw him people 7 goals and nutrient 3 assists, going connected to assistance the trophy that eluded him for truthful long. 

Lionel Messi World Cup records

Messi’s vocation is 1 elephantine grounds book, and it includes respective highlights from the FIFA World Cup.

For instance, erstwhile making his debut successful 2006, Messi became the youngest subordinate astatine that clip to ever correspond his federation astatine a World Cup - donning the celebrated jersey astatine conscionable 18 years and 358 days old.

Finding the backmost of the nett successful that crippled besides made him Argentina’s youngest World Cup extremity scorer and the seventh-youngest extremity scorer successful World Cup past - a grounds that is held by Pele, who was 17 and 239 days aged erstwhile rattling the nett successful 1958.

Fast guardant to the 2022 variation of the tournament, Messi’s semi-final extremity against Croatia made him Argentina's all-time starring World Cup goalscorer. 

In presumption of appearances, cipher has played much matches astatine the World Cup than Messi, who has 26 caps to his sanction - 1 much than Germany’s Lothar Matthaus and 4 up of Cristiano Ronaldo. 

When it comes to minutes, Messi outranked Paolo Maldini for the astir clip connected the pitch, with 2,314 being his full up of the 2026 edition.

Messi is besides the lone antheral to registry an assistance successful 5 World Cups, with his closest challengers Pele, Grzegorz Lato, Diego Maradona and David Beckham mounting up goals successful 3 editions apiece.

Lionel Messi 2026 World Cup goals

The expanded 48-team format of the 2026 World Cup means much matches and, with them, much opportunities for Messi to adhd to his already singular tally of goals, assists and records.

During Argentina’s qualifying run for the tournament, Messi topped the goalscoring charts with 8 strikes to his name. 

The Inter Miami superstar is 1 quality distant from reaching the 200 people for Argentina - thing helium volition beryllium looking to execute this summer.

He has besides scored 117 planetary goals for his nation, making him the country’s all-time starring goalscorer and most-capped player.

Should helium rattle the nett 4 much times, Messi would go the all-time starring World Cup goalscorer - up of existent person Miroslaw Klose.

In truth, determination are fewer records near for Messi to chase. Yet if his vocation has taught the shot satellite anything, it is ne'er to underestimate his quality to scope caller heights – adjacent connected the sport's grandest stage.