​Lionel Messi is poised to add another chapter to his remarkable World Cup saga when Argentina face England in Atlanta on Wednesday. The Press Association examines Messi’s contributions on football’s grandest stage as he continues to chase glory on the world’s biggest stage.
Title encore? Messi guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, scoring seven goals, including two in the final, before the squad sealed victory over France on penalties. That victory seemed rooted, at least in part, in a collective desire to claim a title before Messi’s retirement. Yet, almost four years later, he has returned not only to dominate but to lead from the front once more. At 39, he already has eight goals in this summer’s tournament, level with France’s Kylian Mbappé as the top scorer, and he appears intent on a second World Cup title before what could be his final bow.
Individual honours: The World Cup Golden Boot remains one of the few personal prizes still missing from Messi’s cabinet after Mbappé’s victory last time out, when the French striker’s hat-trick in the final helped him edge ahead in the race. This year’s duel for the award mirrors that dynamic, with Mbappé again holding the edge on tiebreakers such as assists and minutes played. England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are close behind on six goals each, while Erling Haaland — who was the nearest challenger before his elimination — has fallen away. Messi is a two-time Golden Ball winner, awarded to the tournament’s best player, and this summer has added two all-time records to his haul. Mbappé remains just behind Messi with 21 World Cup goals and looks set to surpass him in the long run, though Messi’s tally this summer has rivaled the best in the competition’s history. The duo have surpassed Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16 goals, and Kane is also climbing, reaching 14 so far.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo became the first men to play in six World Cups, and both have now surpassed Lothar Matthäus’s record of 25 matches. Messi is set to reach his 33rd World Cup appearance on Wednesday, which would put him six clear of Ronaldo in the standings once again.
Goals record — and a possible weakness? Messi’s World Cup goal tally has had its fluctuations. He scored in his debut tournament in 2006 but did not score in 2010. He then burst onto the scene with four goals in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a tournament hosted by Argentina’s archrivals. He found the net once in 2018 before delivering one of his most celebrated performances in 2022, when, at 35, he scored more in that single World Cup than in his previous four combined. He has already surpassed that total this summer.
There have been intriguing twists in the penalty department as well. While Messi’s 2022 campaign featured four spot-kicks, two of which were missed, it is his command from the spot that has defined his World Cup narrative this time around. He missed a penalty in Argentina’s group-stage win over Austria and had another saved by Egypt’s Mostafa Mohamed in the last-16, leaving him with four goals from eight World Cup penalties, excluding shootouts. Yet he has converted all three of his World Cup shootouts, including those against the Netherlands in 2014 and in other high-stakes clashes, underscoring his enduring nerve in the biggest moments.
As Messi prepares for the next test against England, the question remains: can he add another luminous chapter to a legacy that already glitters with record after record? The stage is set for a matchup that could define the latest phase of his World Cup odyssey, with Messi aiming to preserve the magic that has made him one of the sport’s defining figures.