Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July, with Lionel Scaloni’s side aiming to become world champions for a second successive time. But the match is not only a fight for the trophy — 11 unique personal records await Lionel Messi, from taking the field to scoring or lifting the trophy. At a glance, the 11 records within his reach:
1. Oldest finalist outside of goalkeepers: On final day Messi will be 39 years and 25 days old. No outfield player in football history has played a World Cup final at such an age; the record is held by Italy’s legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who at 40 years 133 days played the 1982 final against West Germany. If Messi plays this final, he will be the oldest finalist ever as an outfield player.
2. Second captain to play three World Cup finals: After 2014 and 2022, this is Messi’s third final. Brazil’s Cafu played three successive finals in 1994, 1998 and 2002; Messi is set to become the second player on that elite list.
3. First captain to lead three finals: Many legendary captains have led their sides to two finals, but Messi will be the first to wear the captain’s armband in three World Cup finals.
4. Two World Cups as captain: Many players have won the World Cup twice, but none has lifted the trophy twice as captain; if Argentina win, Messi will be the first captain in history to hold that record.
5. Oldest scorer in a final: If Messi scores against Spain, he will break the record of Sweden’s Nils Liedholm (35 years 264 days), who scored against Brazil in 1958, making him the oldest scorer in World Cup final history.
6. Most goals for Argentina in a single World Cup: Guillermo Stabile scored 8 in the first World Cup in 1930, a record for Argentina in a single edition for 96 years. Messi has already scored 8 this tournament; one goal in the final would take him past Stabile to a new record.
7. The 10-goal milestone: Ten goals in a single edition puts a player in an elite club. If Messi scores twice in the final, he will join Just Fontaine (13), Sandor Kocsis (11) and Gerd Muller (10) — an incredible feat for a player born outside Europe.
8. Scoring in two different World Cup finals: Messi scored in the 2022 final; if he scores against Spain on 19 July, he will become the sixth player, after Vava, Pele, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappe, to score in two different World Cup finals.
9. Most goals for a champion side: Ronaldo scored 8 for champions Brazil in 2002. If Argentina win and Messi scores at least once, he will hold the record for most goals in a single edition by a player of a world-champion side, with 9.
10. Top scorer in finals: Kylian Mbappe holds the outright record of 4 goals in World Cup finals. Two goals in the final would let Messi match it; a hat-trick would take him top with 5 and make him the second player after Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a final.
11. Oldest player to win back-to-back World Cups: Winning two World Cups in a row is rare, achieved before by Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962). If Argentina win, Messi will be the oldest footballer ever to be part of back-to-back World Cup-winning sides, passing Brazil’s Nilton Santos, who set the mark at 37 in 1958 and 1962.
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