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Lionel Messi has beaten Diego Maradona to a unique milestone after leading Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar last month.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar played a key role in helping Argentina win the quadrennial tournament for the third time. In doing so, he went past former World Cup winning captains Daniel Passarella and Diego Maradona.
Pasarella was Argentina's captain in 1978 when they lifted the World Cup for the first time, while Maradona donned the armband when La Albiceleste clinched their second World Cup. However, neither Passarella nor Maradona managed won the Copa America, while Messi did so in 2021. That was also the former Barcelona forward's first major honour in international football.
In 2021, Messi led La Albiceleste to the Copa America triumph by beating arch rivals Brazil in the final. The 35-year-old followed that up by winning the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions in 2022, beating UEFA European Championship 2020 champions Italy.
Later that year, his long wait for the FIFA World Cup finally came to an end as Argentina won the coveted trophy after 36 years. Messi had an extraordinary World Cup campaign, bagging seven goals and three assists in seven games.
He also became the only player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice, having won the award in 2014 too. The Argentine superstar came close to winning the Golden Boot too, scoring just one goal less than his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe (8).
Messi has been on fire for PSG this season, bagging 13 goals and 14 assists in 21 games across competitions.
Jamal Musiala names PSG superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar as his idols
Bayern Munich playmaker Jamal Musiala has revealed that he used to idolise Paris Saint-Germain superstars Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi while growing up. When asked who he idolised when it came to dribbling and skills, Musiala told Bundesliga.com:
"Growing up, I watched a lot of (Lionel) Messi videos and Neymar as well."
"It always amazed me how they went into the dribbles, and it was always entertaining to watch them play."
At just 19, Musiala has already established himself as a key player for both Bayern Munich and Germany. The German wunderkind has particularly caught the eye with his exceptional ball control and dribbling ability.
