Lionel Messi scored his first and most recent goals at the World Cup, which came 16 years, 180 days apart. With 16 years and 160 days, Cristiano Ronaldo has the next longest World Cup run.
Doha: Lionel Messi has moved closer to achieving his greatest ambition by leading Argentina to the FIFA World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Croatia. Messi has already won dozens of titles in club cricket.
The 35-year-old scored his fifth goal in Qatar 2022, this time from a penalty kick.
Messi broke a lot of records by leading Argentina to the final, and he also set himself up to beat more records in international football and at the FIFA World Cup when Argentina plays the winner of the second semifinal between France and Morocco.
According to a report on the website fifa.com, Messi is one of only six men to have participated in five World Cups alongside Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He now has 25 World Cup appearances, which puts him in competition with German captain Lothar Matthaus, who won the tournament. If he participates in the final on Sunday, he will surpass Matthaus.
Messi has led Argentina to a World Cup record of 18 appearances as captain. Rafa Marquez (17) and Diego Maradona (16) come in behind him.
He is the only player to have an assist in each of the five World Cups. His nearest challengers are Pele, Grzegorz Lato, Diego Maradona, and David Beckham, who put forth up objectives in three releases each.
The record for the most assists in the knockout phase belongs to Messi and Pele.
With 11 goals, Messi leads Argentina in World Cup scoring. Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes (6), and Gonzalo Higuain (5) are his closest competitors.
The most minutes played at a World Cup by Paolo Maldini: 2,217. With 2,194 points, Messi could beat the Italian in the Qatar 2022 final.
Only Messi has scored at the World Cup while still in his teens, 20s, and 30s. Four months separated Pele from achieving the same result.
16 years and 180 days apart, Messi scored his first and most recent World Cup goals. The following greatest range in World Cup history has a place with Cristiano Ronaldo at 16 years and 160 days.