Two more games in Qatar
Lionel Messi (35) is two wins away from the greatest success of his career: the world title with Argentina. The striker could even break two records that have been held for decades by Lothar Matthäus (61) and Paolo Maldini (54) if he only finishes fourth.
Messi on the way to the top: players with most World Cup appearances
The statistics of most World Cup appearances…
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…will soon be led by a new leader if all goes well! (as of December 12, 2022)
1 Lothar Matthäus (25 games for Germany)
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2 Lionel Messi (24 games for Argentina)
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2 Miroslav Klose (24 games for Germany)
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4 Paolo Maldini (23 games for Italy)
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5 Cristiano Ronaldo (22 games for Portugal)
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6 Uwe Seeler (21 games for Germany)
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6 Wladyslaw Zmuda (21 games for Poland)
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6 Diego Maradona (21 games for Argentina)
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9 Bastian Schweinsteiger (20 games for Germany)
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9 Philipp Lahm (20 games for Germany)
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9 Cáfu (20 games for Brazil)
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9 Grzegorz Lato (20 games for Poland)
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9 Javier Mascherano (20 games for Argentina)
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14 Ronaldo (19 games for Brazil)
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14 Berti Vogts (19 games for Germany)
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14 Wolfgang Overath (19 games for Germany)
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14 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (19 games for Germany)
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14 Per Mertesacker (19 games for Germany)
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14 Rafael Marquez (19 games for Mexico)
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14 Manuel Neuer (19 games for Germany)
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14 Thomas Müller (19 games for Germany)
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22 Mario Kempes (18 games for Argentina)
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22 Sepp Maier (18 games for Germany)
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22 Franz Beckenbauer (18 games for Germany)
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22 Pierre Littbarski (18 games for Germany)
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22 Thomas Berthold (18 games for Germany)
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22 Claudio Taffarel (18 games for Brazil)
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22 Dunga (18 games for Brazil)
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22 Fabio Cannavaro (18 games for Italy)
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22 Gaetano Scirea (18 games for Italy)
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22 Antonio Cabrini (18 games for Italy)
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With 24 appearances, Messi is just one game away from record holder Matthäus, who won the title with Germany in 1990. In the semi-finals against Croatia and in the final or in the match for third place, “La Pulga” could overtake Germany’s record international and play 26 games (statistic: most World Cup games).
For Matthäus, the first three World Cup appearances went all the way to the final, in 1994 and 1998 it was the quarterfinals.
Messi soon with the most World Cup games and minutes? Klose at gates far away
Maldini only needed four participations with Italy for his record. At 2,100 minutes, the former world-class defender played longer than any other footballer in World Cup games. He went the full distance in each of his 23 appearances – after 90 minutes, Maldini’s Italians could never be defeated during his time. This required three penalties against Argentina, Brazil and France, as well as controversial refereeing decisions against South Korea in the summer of 2002.
Messi has completed 1,955 minutes to date and overtook the legends Diego Maradona (†) and Uwe Seeler (†) by beating the Netherlands. If he plays 90 minutes against Croatia in the seventh game, he will also overtake Maldini in terms of most World Cup minutes, while he is still six goals away from Miroslav Klose (44) in the ranking of the most successful World Cup players. These records should only have value for Messi if he brings the third World Cup to Argentina and crowns his career with it.
Messi now in top 10: top scorers in World Cup history
8 Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 10 goals in 24 appearances
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As of December 12, 2022
8 Grzegorz Lato (Spain) – 10 goals in 20 appearances
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8 Thomas Muller (Germany) – 10 goals in 19 appearances
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8 Teófilo Cubillas (Peru) – 10 goals in 13 appearances
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8 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) – 10 goals in 12 appearances
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8 Gary Lineker (England) – 10 goals in 12 appearances
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8 Helmut Rahn (Germany) – 10 goals in 10 appearances
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6 Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) – 11 goals in 17 appearances
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6 Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11 goals in 5 appearances
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5 Pelé (Brazil) – 12 goals in 14 appearances
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4 Just Fontaine (France) – 13 goals in 6 appearances
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3 Gerd Muller (Germany) – 14 goals in 13 appearances
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2 Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 goals in 19 appearances
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1 Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 goals in 24 appearances
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