New Record For Lionel Messi, Argentina Star Becomes First Player In The World To...

Last Updated:July 04, 2026, 02:51 IST

Lionel Messi entered his name in the history books on Friday (Saturday IST) by becoming the first player in the world to feature in 30 FIFA World Cup matches.

Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, entered his name in the history books on Friday (Saturday IST) by becoming the first player in the world to feature in 30 FIFA World Cup matches. Argentina’s Round of 32 match against Cape Verde in Miami on Friday is Messi’s 30th FIFA World Cup appearance.

No player in the world has played 30 or more matches in FIFA World Cup history.

Messi, who has scored six goals so far for Argentina in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, is leading the attack for the three-time champions alongside Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez. He is back in the starting XI after not starting Argentina’s last Group J match against Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on June 27.

Against Jordan, Messi came off the bench after the hour mark and scored his team’s third goal of the match in the 80th minute.

If Messi, who is the all-time highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, manages to score at least one goal against Cape Verde, he will become the first player in the world to score 20 goals in the FIFA World Cup. As of now, he has 19 goals to his name in 29 matches.

At least one goal against Cape Verde will also help Messi equal his career-best tally of seven goals in a single FIFA World Cup.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Messi played all seven matches for Argentina and scored seven goals, two of which came in the final against France on December 18, 2022, in Lusail.

In this year’s FIFA World Cup, Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s first Group J match against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on June 16 and found the back of the net twice against Austria in the next group-stage match played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on June 22.

If Argentina manage to get the better of Cape Verde in the Round of 32 match in Miami, they will face Egypt in the Round of 16 next week.

About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli...Read More

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