Which records will Lionel Messi break at World Cup 2026?

Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe captain of the world champions has built a career out of making history. He turns 39 in June, which for a typical mortal would probably make this year's his last World Cup.Lionel Messi is superhuman when it comes to footballing ability but World Cup 2026 could be the last international hurrah even for the Argentina skipper and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.These are the records Messi could break as he leads Argentina's World Cup defence in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer... You may like Adidas goes for gold with stunning Lionel Messi World Cup 2026 boot 'Well know in a few months' Lionel Messi close friend gives verdict on Argentina legend's retirement plans World Cup 2026 power rankings: Are Lionel Messi and Argentina still the team to beat? The first captain to lift consecutive World CupsArgentina have given themselves the opportunity to become just the third team in World Cup history to win the trophy in back-to-back tournaments. Only Italy and Brazil have retained the title of world champions.The Azzurri won the second and third World Cups under Vittorio Pozzo but 1934 captain Virginio Rosetta was succeeded in 1938 by one Giuseppe Meazza.Brazil's captain in 1958 was Hilderaldo Bellini. He was in the squad that successfully defended the trophy in 1962 but was captained in Chile by defender Mauro Ramos.FourFourTwo's essential 2026 World Cup pack!Get your hands on the newest issue of FourFourTwo - our ultimate World Cup pack! Featuring: Englands American dream, Jordan Pickford and Morgan Rogers, Scotlands return, Mauricio Pochettino Q&A, biggest upsets plus a huge wallchart and preview special!View DealThe first player to appear at six World Cup tournamentsArgentina play Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium on June 16, one day before Portugal face DR Congo at NRG Stadium.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.That means there's a chance that Messi will beat Cristiano Ronaldo to become the first footballer to play at six different men's World Cups. Both are among the six players with caps at five finals tournaments the other four are now retired.Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could be included in El Tri's World Cup squad for a sixth time but he was unused in 2006 and 2010.Having played in each of the last five World Cup tournaments, Messi has already played in more matches at the finals than any other player. Ronaldo is four matches behind. What to read next Argentina World Cup 2026 squad: Lionel Scaloni's latest selection for the March international break Cristiano Ronaldo's thousand goal stare World Cup 2026 Golden Boot power rankings: Can Erling Haaland top the scoring charts? The top World Cup scorer of all timeThe Argentina captain is so prolific that the idea of him not scoring the four goals that would take him past Germany striker Miroslav Klose to become the World Cup's greatest scorer seems absurd.Messi has 13 goals across five tournaments, level with World Cup 1958 Golden Boot winner Just Fontaine and three behind Klose.Scoring 14 to beat Fontaine's single-tournament record is a taller order but a blank for Cristiano Ronaldo would leave the door open for Messi to equal his record of scoring at five tournaments. The Portugal captain's five scoring tournaments were consecutive for good measure.The oldest World Cup final goalscorerWhen Messi scored against France in the final of World Cup 2022, he went on to become the oldest player to score in a World Cup final and win.The outright oldest World Cup final goalscorer is the legendary Niels Liedholm. The AC Milan icon was 87 days older in 1962 but Sweden were beaten by Brazil in the final. If Argentina make back-to-back finals and Messi scores, he'll have another record to his name.The World Cup assist kingPortugal captain Ronaldo has scored at all five of his previous tournaments between 2006 and 2022 but Messi is the only player to claim an assist at five different World Cups.He holds this record already, such as it is, but what's a sixth consecutive World Cup assist notching between friends?The World Cup penalty shoot-out masterMessi and Croatia captain Luka Modric have participated and scored in three World Cup penalty shoot-outs each, both shared records that could be claimed outright by either player this summer.Only one player has taken part in three World Cup shoot-outs without scoring in all three. Roberto Baggio's lone World Cup penalty miss might be the most infamous penalty miss of all.Of course, there's always a chance Argentina or Messi or anyone else stumbles upon an open-ended record like the most goals in a match or the earliest World Cup goal, but on those ones we'll just have to wait and see.TOPICSArgentinaWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Chris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.