Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi ended the 2026 World Cup with his team losing 0:1 to Spain in extra time in the final, but he set new records in the history of the mundial.
elchi reports that the 39-year-old forward became the first player in World Cup history to both start and captain his team in three final matches.
In this indicator, he surpassed legends such as Pele, Ronaldo Nazario, and Lothar Matthäus.
Messi is also the leader in 11 out of 12 key indicators in the statistics of World Cups held since 1966. He ranks first in the number of assists (12), big chances created (24), total shots (139), shots on target (64), expected goals (19.6), expected assists (11.1), accurate passes in the final third (639), passes into the penalty area (236), successful crosses (40), distance covered with the ball (9136 meters), and successful dribbles (137). The only exception is the number of goals scored. In this indicator, he is in second place with 21 goals, trailing Mbappe.
Throughout the tournament, Messi was the main driving force of the Argentina national team’s attack. He was remembered as his team’s most productive player with 8 goals and also stood out with the goal-scoring opportunities he created and his assists.
In the final match against Spain, Messi completed 27 out of 34 passes, demonstrating 79 percent accuracy. However, he was unable to create a goal-scoring situation for his teammates.
It should be noted that Messi narrowly missed out on the top scorer and top assist provider awards at the 2026 World Cup. It is expected that this mundial will be the last World Cup of his career.