Lionel Messi's World Cup records: owned and chased

Lionel Messi's remarkable hat-trick against Algeria at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ saw him equal Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals. The Argentina captain also drew level with another Klose benchmark: the German's record 17 World Cup victories. At 38 years and 357 days, Messi became the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, who was 33 years and 130 days when he scored a treble against Spain in 2018.

Goalscoring milestones

Messi is already Argentina's leading World Cup goalscorer, followed by Gabriel Batistuta (10), Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes (6), and Gonzalo Higuain (5). His hat-trick against Algeria also made him the highest-scoring South American at the global finals, surpassing Brazil legend Ronaldo (15). With two long-range strikes in Kansas City, Messi added his fifth and sixth World Cup goals from outside the area, breaking the previous record of five held by Brazil's Rivellino. His earlier long-range goals came against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, and Nigeria in 2014, and Mexico in 2022.

Appearances and longevity

Messi is the only man to have played in six editions of the World Cup, though Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to share that record on 17 June. Previously, they co-owned it with Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, and Andres Guardado. Messi made his 26th World Cup appearance in the Qatar 2022 final, breaking Matthaus's record, and his 27th in the 2026 opener against Algeria. Becoming the first man to reach 30 appearances is within reach. He also holds the record for most minutes played in World Cup history (2,404), surpassing Paolo Maldini's 2,217 minutes in the Qatar 2022 final.

Dribbling and assists

Messi has completed the most dribbles in World Cup history. His 46 successful take-ons at Brazil 2014 is the third most in a single edition, behind Jairzinho (47 at Mexico 1970) and Maradona (53 at Mexico 1986). He is the only player to register an assist in five World Cups, with his closest challengers—Pele, Grzegorz Lato, Diego Maradona, and David Beckham—having done so in three editions each. Pele and Messi share the record for most assists in the knockout phase (6) and most goal contributions (21).

Unique feats

Messi is the only player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final of a single World Cup, achieving this at Lusail Stadium in 2022. He is also the only player to score in the World Cup in his teens, 20s, and 30s; Pele missed out by four months. His first and latest World Cup goals came exactly 20 years apart, another record; the next biggest span belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo at 16 years and 160 days. Messi has won the Player of the Match award an unequalled 12 times since its introduction in 2002, including a record four at Brazil 2014 (tied with Wesley Sneijder). He is the only player to win multiple adidas Golden Balls, doing so at Brazil 2014 and Qatar 2022.