Lionel Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina in the 2006 World Cup against Serbia at the tender age of 18 years and 357 days.
Cut to the present, Messi has played five World Cups for his country and scored 10 goals at the quadrennial event, equalling the record set by Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.
Here is a look at all the goals scored by Messi at the World Cup
Goal No 1- Argentina vs Serbia and Montenegro, 2006 World Cup
Lionel Messi came off the bench in the 75th minute of the match against Serbia and Montenegro. Argentina was already leading 3-0 at the time. He scored his first World Cup goal in the 88th minute, after latching on to a pass by Carlos Tevez. He beat keeper Dragoslav Jevric at the near-post to complete a 6-0 beating. He became Argentina’s youngest scorer at the FIFA World Cup.
Goal No 2- Argentina vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2014 World Cup
After a disappointing 2010 World Cup, Messi had to wait for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He scored in the 65th minute of the match to give his team a 2-0 lead. He received a pass from Gonzalo Higuain, shielded the ball from his marker, beat an opponent defender and slotted the ball into the bottom-corner with a lovely finish.
Goal No 3- Argentina vs Iran, 2014 World Cup
Messi’s third World Cup goal against Iran in 2014 was one of the most clutch goals the player has scored in the tournament. Held by a resolute Iran throughout 90 minutes, Messi went for a long-range curler from outside the box, which beat the keeper and rattled the bottom-left corner of the net.
Goal No 4 and 5- Argentina vs Nigeria, 2014 World Cup
Messi scored twice in Argentina’s group-stage match against Nigeria in the 2014 World Cup. His first goal came in the third minute of the match. Angel Di Maria’s shot at the near-post rattled the bar and came back into play. Messi was first to latch on to the rebound and rifle the ball into the roof of the net.
His second goal came in first-half additional time. Argentina got a freekick, but it was quite far away from the goal. However, Messi went for the shot, and Nigeria’s keeper Vincent Enyeama could not judge the flight of the ball as it rattled the back of the net.
Goal No 6- Argentina vs Nigeria, 2018 World Cup
In a must-win match for Argentina, Messi opened the scoring with a great finish in the 14th minute. Ever Banega found Messi on the right side of the box with a wonderful aerial ball. Messi kept the ball in control with a lovely first touch and shot across the face of goal to find the far corner.
Goal No 7- Argentina vs Saudi Arabia, 2022 World Cup
Messi scored his seventh World Cup goal against Saudi Arabia from the spot after Argentina got a penalty in the 10th minute. However, it was a dark day in Argentina’s football history as it suffered a shock 2-1 loss against Saudi.
Goal No 8- Argentina vs Mexico, 2022 World Cup
Messi scored his eighth World Cup goal in Argentina’s second group game against Mexico in the ongoing Qatar World Cup. The Argentine skipper opened the scoring in the 64th minute. Angel Di Maria passed the ball to Messi from the left flank. Receiving the ball with great dexterity, he shifted the ball to his left leg and launched a low shot through a sea of Mexican bodies. The shot was pure, and by the time Guillermo Ochoa anticipated the danger and dived for the ball, it had already nestled in the bottom-right corner.
Goal No 9- Argentina vs Australia, 2022 World Cup
Messi’s ninth World Cup goal against Australia in the Round of 16 match was memorable for two reasons- it was his first knockout goal in the tournament and also the 1000th match of his career. Messi scored the first goal of the match in the 35th minute. Nicolas Otamendi’s touch set up Messi and he finished with a trademark curler at the far corner, beating a diving Matt Ryan.
Goal No 10- Argentina vs Netherlands, 2022 World Cup
Messi equalled Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 10 World Cup goals after scoring against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal. Messi successfully converted a penalty in the 73rd minute to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
Goal No 11- Argentina vs Croatia, 2022 World Cup
Lionel Messi scored a record 11th goal for Argentina in its semifinal clash against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. Messi converted a spot-kick in the 34th minute to score, breaking Gabriel Batistuta’s record of 10 world cup goals for Argentina.
Goal No 12 and 13- Argentina vs France, 2022 World Cup final
Lionel Messi scored his sixth World Cup goal in Qatar 2022, which took him top of the Golden Boot race. He also equals Pele’s record of 12 World Cup goals. Messi scored from the spot in the 23rd minute after Argentina was awarded a penalty.
His second goal of the match and 13th goal overall came in the 108th minute (first-period of extra-time).
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