30
Messi became the first player to make 30 World Cup appearances.
20
He became the first player in World Cup history to reach the 20-goal milestone.
5
He became the first player to score in five consecutive World Cup knockout matches.
35
Since turning 35, Messi has scored 14 World Cup goals. By comparison, all other players aged over 35 have managed just 25 goals combined in World Cup history.
79
When the 39-year-old Messi scored against Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, their combined age was 79 years and 61 days—the highest combined age ever for a World Cup goalscorer and the goalkeeper he scored against.
7
Messi became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score seven or more goals in two different editions of the tournament (2022 and 2026).
12
Messi has now been directly involved in 12 goals in the World Cup knockout stage (six goals and six assists), surpassing the previous record of 11, jointly held by Pelé and Kylian Mbappé.
1
One more goal will see Messi equal the record for the most goals by an Argentine in a single World Cup—eight, set by Guillermo Stábile at the 1930 World Cup.
5
Messi became only the third player in World Cup history to score in five consecutive knockout matches, after Hungary's György Sárosi (1934–38) and Brazil's Vavá (1958–62).
6
Across Argentina's last six World Cup knockout matches, Messi has been directly involved in 10 goals—scoring six and providing four assists.
14
Messi has faced 22 different teams at the World Cup and has now scored against 14 of them.
Messi breaks World Cup goals record, surpasses Klose
