Qatar World Cup 2022: Argentine has emerged victorious, drubbing France in the final on Sunday. As La Albicelestes wins its third WC title, we present the records Lionel Messi shattered en route to historical success.
Finally, Argentina can call itself the world champion again. On Sunday, as it faced off against two-time defending champion France at the Lusail Iconic Stadium during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it turned out to be a pure thriller, as a 3-3 stalemate at the extra time led to the penalty shootout where the former prevailed 4-2. Consequently, it resulted in La Albicelestes winning its historic third WC title and the first since 1986 when the late-great Diego Maradona won it the last time. Much of the credit goes to the Argentine superstar striker Lionel Messi, who lifted the coveted trophy in his final WC outing. Meanwhile, we look at the records he smashed en route to the championship triumph:
- Messi is the first Argentine to score in four separate editions of the competition.
- Messi is also the first Argentinian to feature in 1,000 senior career contests.
- Messi is the first to score in every stage of a WC.
- Since 1966, Messi's 22-goal involvement (14 goals and eight assists) is the most by any player on record in the tournament.
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With 14 goals, Messi is now the highest goal-scorer for Argentina in the competition, surpassing Maradona (10).
Despite being a left-footed player, Messi has been equally effective with his right foot, scoring his 100th career goal with his weaker foot during the final.