Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer to have ever played the beautiful game. The Ronaldo-Messi debate of the current era is never-ending without even considering other greats like Pele, Maradonna, Cruyff, etc. Still, Lionel Messi is possible the most talented of all. The way he performs on the pitch can only be described as magical. He has won almost every trophy at the club level but everything was not as smooth for international tournaments.
The Argentine retired from his national team in 2016 after failing to win the Copa America but subsequently made a return. Messi finally won the long-desired Copa America trophy in 2021, ending a series of heartbreaks for the player. The international icon even came close to winning the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Messi had one of the best World Cup performances scoring 4 goals and providing 1 assist in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The world thought that Messi was going to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy that year, but Germany’s Mario Gotze had other plans. Mario Gotze scored in the 113’of extra time in the World Cup final to help Germany beat Argentina 1-0. Since then Messi has been unable to come this close to the FIFA World Cup but will hope to finally win the elusive FIFA World Cup this year and finish his career with an unbelievable cabinet of trophies.
Lionel Messi World Cup Goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 16 June 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Serbia, and Montenegro | 6–0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 15 June 2014 | Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 21 June 2014 | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Iran | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 25 June 2014 | Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil | Nigeria | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 6 | 26 June 2018 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nigeria | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
Total International Matches
Messi has 162 appearances for Argentina in which he has scored 86 goals and has 49 assists. He averages 155 minutes per goal scored and 99 minutes per goal contribution for Argentina. Messi made his debut on 17th August 2005 against Hungary and his international debut was far from perfect. Messi came on in the 63rd minute only to get sent off 2 minutes later for a perceived foul on Vilmos Vanczák. The player held Messi’s shirt and Messi struck him with his elbow while trying to get rid of him. This was considered as intentional elbowing by the referee and Messi was sent off. Despite this start, Messi went on to appear 162 times for Argentina. He won the Golden Ball at the 2014 FIFA World Cup which saw Argentina lose in the finals but Messi won the Copa America trophy in 2021, furthering an already amazing international career.
Trophies Won By Messi In The World Cup
Messi won the FIFA Golden Ball in 2014. The Golden Ball is presented to the best player in that edition of the FIFA World Cup. Although Argentina lost in the Finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball ahead of Thomas Muller who came in 2nd.
Jerseys Worn By Messi In The World Cup
Messi has played in 4 FIFA World Cup’s which are 2006, 2010. 2014, and 2018. He wore 4 different editions of Argentina Jerseys in these 4 different FIFA World Cup editions.
2006:
2010:
2014:
2018:
