Every Argentina record Lionel Messi broke or equalled as World Cup winner retires from international football

Lionel Messi called time on one of the most remarkable international careers by any player in the history fo football in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Argentina legend took part in one final match for his country, signing off with a goal and two assists in a 3-0 victory against Benin.

Messi's journey with Argentina was not always easy, with the Inter Miami star having initially announced his retirement from the national team in 2016 following a loss against Chile in the Copa America final.

That was the then-29-year-old's fourth major final defeat, following the 2007 Copa America final, the 2014 World Cup final and another Copa America loss in 2015.

The playmaker quickly reversed his decision, and that proved to be an inspired choice given he won the 2021 Copa America, then the 2022 World Cup and finally the 2024 Copa America.

En route to those successes, the 39-year-old broke countless records, and here, Sports Mole lists every record he has either equalled or broken for Argentina.

Messi's Argentina Records

Every national team record broken or equalled, 2005–2026

All (23) National Team World Cup Copa America Qualifying

Lionel Messi — 23 Argentina national team records broken or equalled, 2005 to 2026
Record	Messi's Mark
Most international capsNT Broke Javier Mascherano's 147 caps in June 2021 against Bolivia	208 caps
All-time top scorerNT Surpassed Gabriel Batistuta's all-time record of 56 with a goal against Colombia in November 2016	126 goals
Most international assistsNT Surpassed Diego Maradona's 26, with Angel Di Maria now second with 29; also holds the record for goals + assists combined (193)	67 assists
Most hat-tricks for ArgentinaNT Across all competitions including friendlies; Gabriel Batistuta previously held the record with 3	11 hat-tricks
Most direct free-kick goals for ArgentinaNT Across all competitions including friendlies	12 goals
Most goals in a calendar year for ArgentinaNT 18 goals across all competitions in 2022 — the year he captained Argentina to the World Cup	18 goals (2022)
Oldest goalscorer in Argentina historyNT Scored vs Benin aged 39 years and 105 days on 7 October 2026, his farewell match	39y 105d vs Benin, 2026
Most World Cup appearancesWC Broke Diego Maradona's Argentine record (21) at Qatar 2022, then overtook Lothar Matthaus's all-time world record (25) in the same tournament	34 appearances
Most World Cup goals for ArgentinaWC Broke Gabriel Batistuta's record of 10	21 goals
Most World Cup assists for ArgentinaWC Equalled Diego Maradona's record of eight at Qatar 2022, then broke it in 2026 to set an all-time record	12 assists
Most World Cup Golden Ball awards (Argentina)WC Won Best Player at Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022; Diego Maradona had won it once at Mexico 1986	2 Golden Balls
Most World Cup appearances as Argentina captainWC Diego Maradona previously captained Argentina in 16 World Cup matches across 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994	26 as captain
Only player to start three World Cup finalsWC 2014 (vs Germany), 2022 (vs France), 2026 (vs Spain) — no other player in history has achieved this	3 finals started
Most consecutive World Cup matches scored inWC Scored in nine successive World Cup matches across 2022 and 2026 — a Guinness World Record	9 consecutive games
Oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trickWC Three goals vs Algeria (2026) at 38 years and 357 days old — a Guinness World Record	38y 357d vs Algeria, 2026
Youngest Argentina player to appear and score at a World CupWC Came on as a substitute vs Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June 2006 and scored — aged just 18 years and 357 days	18y 357d Germany 2006
Most Copa America appearances (Argentina)CA Seven editions: 2007–2024. His 35th appearance at Copa America 2024 also broke Chile's Sergio Livingstone's all-time Copa America record (34)	39 appearances
Most Copa America assists (all-time)CA All-time Copa America record across all nations; includes a tournament-best 5 assists in 2021	18 assists
Most Copa America direct free-kick goalsCA	4 free kicks
Most CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying goalsQL Also the all-time CONMEBOL record across all nations; nearly doubled Crespo's previous Argentina mark of 19	36 goals
Most CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying appearancesQL	72 appearances
Most goals in a single CONMEBOL qualifying campaignQL 10 goals across the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign	10 goals (2014 WC qual.)
Most CONMEBOL qualifying hat-tricksQL	3 hat-tricks

Lionel Messi: Greater than Diego Maradona for Argentina?

Messi not only holds the record for most appearances for Argentina (208), but he also has scored the most goals (126) and registered the most assists (67).

Those figures are unlikely to ever be broken, and it is understandable that many now believe that the 39-year-old has surpassed the legacy of Diego Maradona.

It would be unfair to compare the two players directly, but given that Messi overcame the longstanding criticism of his international career by winning the 2022 World Cup and guiding his country to the 2014 and 2026 finals, there is very little room for downplaying his achievements.

Messi is also the oldest ever player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup, the highest scorer in World Cup history and is the only player to ever start three World Cup finals.

Regardless of how individual Argentinians rank their nation's greatest ever players, there is no doubt that Messi has left behind an incredible legacy, one that will stand the test of time.