World Cup 2018: 5 players with most goals for their respective nations

#2. Lionel Messi - Argentina (64 goals)

FBL-FRIENDLY-ARG-HAI — Messi led Argentina to the World Cup final in 2014

Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi is one of the leading South Americans that will feature in the World Cup this year. An intelligent playmaker and a ferocious goalscorer, the attacker is someone that every team will be wary of in the tournament.

Once again, the Argentine will be carrying the burden of delivering the prestigious trophy for his nation. He went close in 2014, scoring 4 goals to lead the Albiceleste to the final of the competition before losing to Germany in extra time.

Despite his setbacks at the international level, the playmaker has a lot of remarkable achievements with his national team. Apart from winning the Olympics in 2008, Messi is also the all-time top scorer of the Albiceleste, bagging an incredible 64 goals in 122 appearances.

Following a decent campaign in which he helped Barcelona to win both La Liga title and the Copa del Rey, all eyes will be on him to inspire his country when the tournament begins in Russia this month.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram