Lionel Messi Creates History, Becomes First Player In The World To..
Lionel Messi Creates History, Becomes First Player In The World To... Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 05:15 IST Lionel Messi is the first
Lionel Messi Creates History, Becomes First Player In The World To... Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 05:15 IST Lionel Messi is the first player in the world to play at least one match in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. Lionel Messi becomes first footballer to play a match in six FIFA World Cup editions. (Picture Credit: AP) Defending champions Argentina are taking on Algeria in their first Group J match of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The match, taking place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, is a special one for Lionel Messi, as it has helped him enter the history books. The 39-year-old Argentine forward has become the first player in the world to play at least one match in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. Messi, who is the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history, made his World Cup debut for the South American giants in 2006 and scored his first goal in the tournament against Serbia and Montenegro on June 16, 2006, at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. He was also part of Argentina’s 2010 FIFA World Cup squad but failed to find the back of the net throughout the tournament. Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup EDITION AGAINST GOAL VENUE DATE 2006 Serbia and Montenegro 1 Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen June 16, 2006 Netherlands 0 Waldstadion, Frankfurt June 21, 2006 Mexico (R16) 0 Zentralstadion, Leipzig June 24, 2006 2010 Nigeria 0 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg June 12, 2010 South Korea 0 Soccer City, Johannesburg June 17, 2010 Greece 0 Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane June 22, 2010 Mexico (R16) 0 Soccer City, Johannesburg June 27, 2010 Germany (Q/F) 0 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town July 3, 2010 2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro June 15, 2014 Iran 1 Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte June 21, 2014 Nigeria 2 Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre June 25, 2014 Switzerland (R16) 0 Arena Corinthians, São Paulo July 1, 2014 Belgium (Q/F) 0 Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília July 5, 2014 Netherlands (Semifinal) 0 Arena Corinthians, São Paulo July 9, 2014 Germany (Final) 0 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro July 13, 2014 2018 Iceland 0 Otkritie Arena, Moscow June 16, 2018 Croatia 0 Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod June 21, 2018 Nigeria 1 Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg June 26, 2018 France (R16) 0 Kazan Arena, Kazan June 30, 2018 2022 Saudi Arabia 1 Lusail Stadium, Lusail November 22, 2022 Mexico 1 Lusail Stadium, Lusail November 26, 2022 Poland 0 Stadium 974, Doha November 30, 2022 Australia (R16) 1 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan December 3, 2022 Netherlands (Q/F) 1 Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 9, 2022 Croatia (Semifinal) 1 Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 13, 2022 France (Final) 2 Lusail Stadium, Lusail December 18, 2022 2026 Algeria – Kansas City June 16, 2026 Messi led Argentina to the final in the 2014 edition of the tournament, which was hosted by Brazil, and won the Golden Ball award.
He scored four goals for the three-time World Cup winners in 2014. In 2018, Messi played four matches for Argentina but scored only one goal (against Nigeria on June 26). Messi’s best World Cup in terms of goals came in the 2022 edition. In the last tournament, he played seven matches and scored seven goals, including a brace in the final against France on December 18, 2022. Messi has scored in four World Cup editions so far, and if he manages to score at least one goal in the ongoing tournament, he will become only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal to score in five different FIFA World Cup editions. Messi has 13 goals to his name in FIFA World Cup history, and if he manages to score at least four goals in this year’s tournament, he will move to the top of the list of all-time World Cup goal scorers. As of now, the record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history is held by former Germany forward Miroslav Klose. Klose played 24 matches for the four-time World Cup winners and scored 16 goals. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Harshit Bisht Senior Sub-editor Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis.
Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the... Read More First Published: June 17, 2026, 05:15 IST News sports football Lionel Messi Creates History, Becomes First Player In The World To... Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views,
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