Lionel Messi has cemented his place in the pantheon of the game's all-time greats after helping Argentina beat France on penalties to win the World Cup 2022 final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
The 35-year-old bows out on the biggest international stage on an immense high and follows in the footsteps of footballing icon Diego Maradona who was the last Argentine to lift the Jules Rimet trophy back in 1986.
Messi was pipped at the post by Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot, but Argentina's No.10 has come away with the Golden Ball award for the second time after notching up seven goals and three assists in seven matches at the 2022 tournament.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has now scored a total of 793 goals in 1,003 games across his 22-year professional career, already boasts a plethora of individual accolades at club level, but he has since broken a host of records at the World Cup, etching his name into the competition's folklore.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the standout records Messi now holds at the World Cup.
Most World Cup appearances
© Reuters
Before he had even kicked a ball in the final, Messi became the first player in World Cup history to make 26 appearances in the competition, surpassing the previous record set by former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus (25).
Messi made his World Cup debut back in June 2006 and featured two more times at the tournament in Germany, before starting every game for Argentina at the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
During his time in Qatar, the Paris Saint-Germain star has also moved ahead of Maradona (21) as Argentina's record appearance-maker at the World Cup.
Most World Cup minutes
Messi has not just played more World Cup games than any other player, but he also boasts the most minutes on the biggest international stage with the 35-year-old surpassing legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini in his final appearance against France.
With the 2022 final going all the way to penalties, Messi has taken his minutes tally to 2,314 across his 26 games, moving ahead of Maldini who featured for 2,216 minutes in 23 World Cup appearances.
Most World Cup goal involvements
© Reuters
While the first two records outline Messi's longevity at the World Cup, the vast majority of the remaining accolades on this list showcase his attacking prowess in the final third, ranking him among the greatest goalscorers and goal creators that the tournament has ever seen.
The 2022 final saw Messi open the scoring from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute, sending France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way as he coolly slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner. The PSG star then scored his second in extra time when a close-range finish in the 108th minute could not be kept out by Dayot Upamecano on the goal line.
Messi has now taken his goal tally to 13 at the World Cup, while he has also provided a total of eight assists, meaning that he is the first-ever player to be directly involved in 21 goals in the competition's history since records began in 1966.
The legendary attacker is now ahead of Miroslav Klose (16 goals and three assists), Ronaldo (15 goals and four assists) and Gerd Muller (14 goals and five assists) with the most goal involvements in World Cup history.
Most World Cup games with a goal involvement
Messi's 21 goal contributions at the World Cup have taken place in 14 different games, and his converted spot kick in the final against France has moved him ahead of Brazil icon Ronaldo for the most World Cup matches with either a goal or an assist.
The Argentine attacker was involved in at least one goal in six of his seven appearances in Qatar, only drawing a blank once in the 2-0 group-stage win over Poland. The remaining eight games in which he either scored or registered an assist took place across the previous four World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2018.
Most World Cup games to both score and assist
© Reuters
Messi has also become the first player to both score and assist in four separate World Cup games since records began in 1966, including three at this year's tournament in Qatar.
The attacker announced himself on the global stage with a goal and an assist on his World Cup debut back in 2006, contributing to two goals during a 16-minute cameo appearance off the substitutes' bench in Argentina's 6-0 group-stage win over Serbia and Montenegro.
Messi then had to wait just over 16 years to repeat the feat in Argentina's 2-0 victory against Mexico in Group C, with a stunning strike from the edge of the area followed by a cute assist for 2022 Young Player of the Tournament Enzo Fernandez.
Two more goal involvements followed in Argentina's thrilling quarter-final triumph over the Netherlands and in their comprehensive victory against Croatia in the semi-finals. Both of Messi's goals in these two matches were converted from the penalty spot, while an exquisite no-look pass for Nahuel Molina to open the scoring against the Dutch was followed by a remarkable run past Croatia's Josko Gvardiol to set up Julian Alvarez.
Youngest and oldest player to both score and assist in the same World Cup match
© Reuters
Messi's World Cup career has spanned across a 16-year spell, and during that time, he has become both the youngest and oldest player to both score an assist in a single match in the competition.
At the age of just 18 years and 357 days, Messi became the youngest player to score an assist at the World Cup in the aforementioned 6-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
He then repeated the feat in the semi-final against Croatia at this year's tournament to become the oldest player at the age of 35 years and 172 days.
Highest scoring Argentina player at the World Cup
© Reuters
Messi has been Argentina's all-time leading scorer for the last six years, but in Qatar he became the nation's all-time record goalscorer at the World Cup when he found the net in the semi-final success over Croatia.
After equalling Gabriel Batistuta's record of 11 World Cup goals with a powerful penalty kick in the quarter-final win over the Netherlands, the 35-year-old moved into first place with another spot kick against Croatia, before increasing his tally with two more goals in the final against France.
Messi has now moved above Brazil icon Pele (12) and drawn level with France legend Just Fontaine (13) on the all-time top-scoring list. Miroslav Klose, meanwhile, still leads the way with 16 goals for Germany.
Scoring in every round
© Reuters
Messi's seven goals in Qatar were split up across six matches – netting twice in the group stage against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, one in the last 16 against Australia, one in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, one in the semi-finals against Croatia and twice against France in the final.
As a result, Messi has become the first player to score in every round in a single World Cup tournament with its current format.
Brazilian fans will remember Jairzinho scoring in every round of the 1970 World Cup, but that tournament did not include a last-16 stage, so while his feat remains intact, Messi can boast scoring in all five rounds in the modern era.
Most World Cup assists at separate World Cups
© Reuters
While Messi is rightly commended for his goalscoring exploits, the PSG star also deserves plenty of plaudits for his ability to create goals as he jointly leads the way with assists at the World Cup.
Indeed, Messi has provided a total of eight World Cup assists, the joint-most in the competition's history along with compatriot Diego Maradona.
Messi set up three goals in Qatar and the first of which against Mexico saw him become the first player to register an assist at five separate World Cup tournaments – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 – breaking his own record of four.
Most World Cup Man of the Match awards
© Reuters
Messi was the key cog in Lionel Scaloni's well-oiled machine on their journey to lifting their first World Cup for 36 years, and the attacker's stellar performances in Qatar were rewarded on five occasions with the Man of the Match award.
Since the prize was introduced in 2002, no player in World Cup history has won more Man of the Match trophies in a single tournament than Messi, who surpassed former Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder (four) when he received his fifth award after the final against France.
In total, Messi has won a total of eight Man of the Match awards at the World Cup, moving ahead of Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo with seven.
Most Golden Balls
© Reuters
After ending his memorable World Cup career with a winners' medal at the fifth time of asking, Messi is also taking home the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player.
The attacker, who received the Golden Ball for the first time in 2014 after Argentina lost to Germany in the final, has become the first player to win the individual accolade twice in the competition's history and the first Argentina player to win the award since Maradona in 1986.
Messi was not the only Argentina player to win an individual prize, as 21-year-old midfielder Enzo Fernandez was named Young Player of the Tournament, while Emiliano Martinez picked up the Golden Glove award.
Oliver Thomas
