Lionel Messi is a forward who plays for Argentina and Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, as of May 2025. He made his professional debut at the age of 17 in October 2004, representing Barcelona. The two-time Copa America winner subsequently became one of the best footballers of all time, leading Barcelona to 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies before leaving the club as a free agent in 2021.
Messi, who played for Paris Saint-Germain before joining Inter Miami in 2023, scored 672 goals and contributed 303 assists in 778 appearances across competitions for Barcelona from 2004 to 2021. He also helped the Catalans lift seven Copa del Rey trophies, three FIFA Club World Cup crowns, and three UEFA Super Cups. Individually, he has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards and six European Golden Shoes, as of May 2025.
Lionel Messi for Argentina in FIFA World Cup
Lionel Messi has featured in five editions of the FIFA World Cup, as of May 2025. He has played in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions of the FIFA World Cup. He has 13 goals and eight assists to his name in 26 FIFA World Cup games.
Lionel Messi FIFA World Cup Goals List (2006-)
Lionel Messi scored his first FIFA World Cup goal, in Argentina's 6-0 Group C win over Serbia and Montenegro, in the 2006 edition in Germany. His last goal in the FIFA World Cup was in the final of the 2022 edition against France in Qatar, as of May 2025.
| No. | Opponent | FIFA World Cup Edition | Match Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia and Montenegro | Germany 2006 | Group stage |
| 2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brazil 2014 | Group stage |
| 3 | Iran | Brazil 2014 | Group stage |
| 4 | Nigeria | Brazil 2014 | Group stage |
| 5 | Nigeria | Brazil 2014 | Group stage |
| 6 | Nigeria | Russia 2018 | Group stage |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | Qatar 2022 | Group stage |
| 8 | Mexico | Qatar 2022 | Group stage |
| 9 | Australia | Qatar 2022 | Round of 16 |
| 10 | Netherlands | Qatar 2022 | Quarter-finals |
| 11 | Croatia | Qatar 2022 | Semi-finals |
| 12 | France | Qatar 2022 | Final |
| 13 | France | Qatar 2022 | Final |
Lionel Messi Total International Matches
Lionel Messi has made 191 appearances for Argentina, as of May 2025. He has scored 112 international goals.
| International Appearances | International Goals | Most International Goals in a Year |
| 191 | 112 | 18 (2022) |
Lionel Messi International Matches Goals List
Lionel Messi scored his first international goal in Argentina's 3-2 friendly loss against Croatia at St. Jakobs-Park, Basel, Switzerland on March 1, 2006. Messi has scored the most number of international goals against Bolivia, as of May 2025.
| No. | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 March 2006 | Croatia |
| 2 | 16 June 2006 | Serbia and Montenegro |
| 3 | 5 June 2007 | Algeria |
| 4 | 5 June 2007 | Algeria |
| 5 | 8 July 2007 | Peru |
| 6 | 11 July 2007 | Mexico |
| 7 | 16 October 2007 | Venezuela |
| 8 | 20 November 2007 | Colombia |
| 9 | 4 June 2008 | Mexico |
| 10 | 11 October 2008 | Uruguay |
| 11 | 11 February 2009 | France |
| 12 | 28 March 2009 | Venezuela |
| 13 | 14 November 2009 | Spain |
| 14 | 7 September 2010 | Spain |
| 15 | 17 November 2010 | Brazil |
| 16 | 9 February 2011 | Portugal |
| 17 | 20 June 2011 | Albania |
| 18 | 7 October 2011 | Chile |
| 19 | 15 November 2011 | Colombia |
| 20 | 29 February 2012 | Switzerland |
| 21 | 29 February 2012 | Switzerland |
| 22 | 29 February 2012 | Switzerland |
| 23 | 2 June 2012 | Ecuador |
| 24 | 9 June 2012 | Brazil |
| 25 | 9 June 2012 | Brazil |
| 26 | 9 June 2012 | Brazil |
| 27 | 15 August 2012 | Germany |
| 28 | 7 September 2012 | Paraguay |
| 29 | 12 October 2012 | Uruguay |
| 30 | 12 October 2012 | Uruguay |
| 31 | 16 October 2012 | Chile |
| 32 | 22 March 2013 | Venezuela |
| 33 | 14 June 2013 | Guatemala |
| 34 | 14 June 2013 | Guatemala |
| 35 | 14 June 2013 | Guatemala |
| 36 | 10 September 2013 | Paraguay |
| 37 | 10 September 2013 | Paraguay |
| 38 | 7 June 2014 | Slovenia |
| 39 | 15 June 2014 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 40 | 21 June 2014 | Iran |
| 41 | 25 June 2014 | Nigeria |
| 42 | 25 June 2014 | Nigeria |
| 43 | 14 October 2014 | Hong Kong |
| 44 | 14 October 2014 | Hong Kong |
| 45 | 12 November 2014 | Croatia |
| 46 | 13 June 2015 | Paraguay |
| 47 | 4 September 2015 | Bolivia |
| 48 | 4 September 2015 | Bolivia |
| 49 | 8 September 2015 | Mexico |
| 50 | 29 March 2016 | Bolivia |
| 51 | 10 June 2016 | Panama |
| 52 | 10 June 2016 | Panama |
| 53 | 10 June 2016 | Panama |
| 54 | 18 June 2016 | Venezuela |
| 55 | 21 June 2016 | United States |
| 56 | 1 September 2016 | Uruguay |
| 57 | 15 November 2016 | Colombia |
| 58 | 23 March 2017 | Chile |
| 59 | 10 October 2017 | Ecuador |
| 60 | 10 October 2017 | Ecuador |
| 61 | 10 October 2017 | Ecuador |
| 62 | 29 May 2018 | Haiti |
| 63 | 29 May 2018 | Haiti |
| 64 | 29 May 2018 | Haiti |
| 65 | 26 June 2018 | Nigeria |
| 66 | 7 June 2019 | Nicaragua |
| 67 | 7 June 2019 | Nicaragua |
| 68 | 19 June 2019 | Paraguay |
| 69 | 15 November 2019 | Brazil |
| 70 | 18 November 2019 | Uruguay |
| 71 | 8 October 2020 | Ecuador |
| 72 | 3 June 2021 | Chile |
| 73 | 14 June 2021 | Chile |
| 74 | 28 June 2021 | Bolivia |
| 75 | 28 June 2021 | Bolivia |
| 76 | 3 July 2021 | Ecuador |
| 77 | 9 September 2021 | Bolivia |
| 78 | 9 September 2021 | Bolivia |
| 79 | 9 September 2021 | Bolivia |
| 80 | 10 October 2021 | Uruguay |
| 81 | 25 March 2022 | Venezuela |
| 82 | 5 June 2022 | Estonia |
| 83 | 5 June 2022 | Estonia |
| 84 | 5 June 2022 | Estonia |
| 85 | 5 June 2022 | Estonia |
| 86 | 5 June 2022 | Estonia |
| 87 | 23 September 2022 | Honduras |
| 88 | 23 September 2022 | Honduras |
| 89 | 27 September 2022 | Jamaica |
| 90 | 27 September 2022 | Jamaica |
| 91 | 16 November 2022 | United Arab Emirates |
| 92 | 22 November 2022 | Saudi Arabia |
| 93 | 26 November 2022 | Mexico |
| 94 | 3 December 2022 | Australia |
| 95 | 9 December 2022 | Netherlands |
| 96 | 13 December 2022 | Croatia |
| 97 | 18 December 2022 | France |
| 98 | 18 December 2022 | France |
| 99 | 23 March 2023 | Panama |
| 100 | 28 March 2023 | Curaçao |
| 101 | 28 March 2023 | Curaçao |
| 102 | 28 March 2023 | Curaçao |
| 103 | 15 June 2023 | Australia |
| 104 | 7 September 2023 | Ecuador |
| 105 | 17 October 2023 | Peru |
| 106 | 17 October 2023 | Peru |
| 107 | 14 June 2024 | Guatemala |
| 108 | 14 June 2024 | Guatemala |
| 109 | 9 July 2024 | Canada |
| 110 | 15 October 2024 | Bolivia |
| 111 | 15 October 2024 | Bolivia |
| 112 | 15 October 2024 | Bolivia |
Lionel Messi FIFA World Cup Individual Awards
Lionel Messi won his first FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022, bagging the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball award and the FIFA World Cup Silver Boot honor as well. He also won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball award in 2014.
| Individual Award | FIFA World Cup Edition |
| Golden Ball | 2014 |
| Golden Ball | 2022 |
| Silver Boot | 2022 |
Lionel Messi FIFA World Cup Records
Lionel Messi is one of only six players to feature in five editions of the FIFA World Cup. He also broke Germany great Lothar Matthaus' appearance record by making his 26th FIFA World Cup appearance in the 2022 final. He has captained Argentina in a record 19 FIFA World Cup outings and has featured in a record 2,314 minutes in the FIFA World Cup. He has also scored the most goals for Argentina in the FIFA World Cup with 13 to his name, as of May 2025.
FAQs on Lionel Messi
A. Lionel Messi is 37 years old, as of May 2025.
A. Lionel Messi has scored 13 goals in 26 FIFA World Cup games for Argentina, as of May 2025.
A. Lionel Messi has scored 14 goals in 39 Copa America games for Argentina, as of May 2025.
