“Lionel Messi, Messi’s hang on!!!! That’s why they are here, the magic man; One more magic moment and Argentina are alive!!”
Those were the words of Peter Drury when Lionel Messi scored the goal against Mexico in the Qatar 2022 World Cup group stages.
Indeed, Argentina came alive with that goal; their hopes were hanging in thin air until the magic man decided the moment to use his magic wand.
A shocking 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia, even though Messi had opened the scoring for the White and Sky Blue from twelve yards, had left them in doubt of their talents and qualities.
Another win, a more comfortable 3-0 victory over Poland, boosted the team’s confidence as they soared into the knockout stages of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup as Group winners and tournament favorites.
Although there was a low for Messi in the game, his penalty was stopped by Poland shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny.
That would not stop the man many have described as the GOAT of the sport – The greatest of All Time. He would add another goal to his tally against Australia in the round of 16.
His third of the tournament. His first in the knockout stage of a FIFA World cup.
“Messi!!!! A thousand games, and he still excels. There would never be another like him; enjoy while he is here. They do extraordinarily in what will be his last World Cup.” Peter Drury had described his trademark finish against Australia.
This is his last World Cup truly, and the little magician is not taking anything for granted as he turned up the heat against the Netherlands to create his team’s first goal and add another himself from the penalty spot yet again and doing the same against Croatia as he led Argentina to their first World Cup final since 2014.
“I feel delighted to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey in a final.”
The man is leaving the scenes, but he is still breaking records and rewriting history.
Argentina’s World Cup Record Holder
Messi is the current captain of the Argentina national team. He is not only leading the bunch of talents in Qatar. He has now put himself at the top of history for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup.
The Paris Saint-German man holds all the records of Argentina any player can dream of in the tournament.
He is the player to play at the most World Cup tournaments for the White and Sky Blue, having played in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 games.
The left-footer also is the highest goalscorer of the South Americans at the tournament. His five goals at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, alongside the six he has before, take Gabriel Batistuta to the top of the ladder. Messi now has 11 World Cup goals.
‘La Pulga,’ as he is fondly called, is also the player with the most matches for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup.
Messi has now played 25 matches (26 including the finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup), overtaking the football god, Late Diego Maradona, who managed 21 caps.
His five goals in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup are also the joint-highest number scored by a player at a single World Cup outing for Argentina.
Maradona (1986) and Batistuta (1998) are the other players to reach the number.
Alongside Diego Maradona – 1986 and 1990, Messi is the second player to captain Argentina to 2 World Cup finals – 2014 and 2022.
The End of a Journey
Messi has announced that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be his last. Argentina’s all-time goalscorer, 96 goals, will bow out of the international scene.
He has won everything winnable in football, from the age-grade tournaments to the Olympics to lifting every trophy in club football.
He also holds the record for the most Ballon D’or award wins – 7 and has played over a thousand games for both club and country, scoring 750 goals.
He is arguably the best to ever have graced the sport of football, but while he imprints his name on the sands of Qatar and in the hearts of football fans, will he ever lay hands on the most expensive trophy in football?
