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Argentina captain Lionel Messi has added yet another record to his illustrious resume at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Messi and La Albiceleste are currently playing their opening match of the tournament in Qatar against Saudi Arabia. The South American giants are heavy favorites to win the game and it took them all but 10 minutes to open the scoring.
Leandro Paredes was brought down in the box by Saudi Arabia defender Ali Albulayhi and the penalty was awarded after a brief Video Assistant Referee check. Lionel Messi stepped up to take the spot-kick and sent Mohammed Al Owais the wrong way to open the scoring.
By doing so, La Pulga became the first-ever Argentina player to score in four editions of the quadrennial tournament. It was his seventh goal in the competition in his 20th appearance. Messi has also recorded five assists in those games.
Only four other players have ever managed to score in four different editions of the World Cup. The list includes Pele, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar became the second oldest goalscorer for La Albiceleste in World Cups at 35 years and 151 days. He is behind only Martin Palermo, who was 36 years and 227 days old when he netted against Greece at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Lionel Messi headlines strong Argentina line-up for FIFA World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia
Lionel Messi's goal currently separates Argentina and Saudi Arabia with more than a quarter of the game completed at the time of writing. While he will undeniably steal the headlines thanks to his strike, La Albiceleste are also fielding plenty of other big names for their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener.
Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria are Messi's partners in attack, while Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes and Alejandro Gomez man the midfield. The South American heavyweights' backline includes Nicolas Tagliafico, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi and Nahuel Molina, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.
They also have a stacked bench, which includes Paulo Dybala, Lisandro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister.
