New Record For Lionel Messi, Argentina Star Becomes First Player In The World To..

Published 3 July 2026 · sports

New Record For Lionel Messi, Argentina Star Becomes First Player In The World To... Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 03:02 IST Lionel Messi

New Record For Lionel Messi, Argentina Star Becomes First Player In The World To... Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 03:02 IST Lionel Messi entered his name in the history books on Friday (Saturday IST) by becoming the first player in the world to feature in 30 FIFA World Cup matches. Lionel Messi becomes first player to feature in 30 FIFA World Cup matches. (Picture Credit: AFP) Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, entered his name in the history books on Friday (Saturday IST) by becoming the first player in the world to feature in 30 FIFA World Cup matches. Argentina’s Round of 32 match against Cape Verde in Miami on Friday is Messi’s 30th FIFA World Cup appearance. No player in the world has played 30 or more matches in FIFA World Cup history. Most appearances in FIFA World Cup PLAYER COUNTRY MATCHES EDITIONS Lionel Messi Argentina 30* 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 26 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 Lothar Matthäus Germany 25 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 Miroslav Klose Germany 24 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 Paolo Maldini Italy 23 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 Luka Modric Croatia 23 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 Manuel Neuer Germany 23 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 Diego Maradona Argentina 21 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 Ivan Perisic Croatia 21 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 Uwe Seeler West Germany 21 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 Władysław Żmuda Poland 21 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 Messi, who has scored six goals so far for Argentina in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, is leading the attack for the three-time champions alongside Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.

He is back in the starting XI after not starting Argentina’s last Group J match against Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on June 27. Against Jordan, Messi came off the bench after the hour mark and scored his team’s third goal of the match in the 80th minute. If Messi, who is the all-time highest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history, manages to score at least one goal against Cape Verde, he will become the first player in the world to score 20 goals in the FIFA World Cup. As of now, he has 19 goals to his name in 29 matches. Most goals in FIFA World Cup RANK PLAYER COUNTRY GOALS MATCHES EDITIONS 1 Lionel Messi Argentina 19 30* 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 2 Kylian Mbappé France 18 18 2018, 2022, 2026 3 Miroslav Klose Germany 16 24 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 4 Ronaldo Brazil 15 19 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 5 Gerd Müller West Germany 14 13 1970, 1974 6 Just Fontaine France 13 6 1958 Harry Kane England 13 15 2018, 2022, 2026 8 Pelé Brazil 12 14 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 9 Sándor Kocsis Hungary 11 5 1954 Jürgen Klinsmann West Germany 11 17 1990, 1994, 1998 Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 11 26 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 At least one goal against Cape Verde will also help Messi equal his career-best tally of seven goals in a single FIFA World Cup.