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
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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