Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer ever and the records he has set for Barcelona, Argentina and in general back it up. These numbers are not normal.
The man himself was in ludicrous form yet again to sink Croatia and is still pretty decent at 35.
* No player has made more World Cup appearances than Lionel Messi – he is level with Lothar Matthaus on 25 and should set a new record in the 2022 final.
* Lionel Messi ranks second for all-time minutes played at World Cups (2,194), behind only Paolo Maldini (2,217), whose record he would break if he starts in the final and lasts until at least the 24th minute.
* Lionel Messi has made the most World Cup appearances as captain (18), ahead of Mexico’s Rafael Marquez (17) and some bloke called Diego Maradona (16).
* Lionel Messi ranks second for most World Cup wins as a player (16), behind only Miroslav Klose (17).
* Lionel Messi ranks joint-sixth all-time for World Cup goals, level with Jurgen Klinsmann and Sandor Kocsis on 11 and behind only Pele (12), Just Fontaine (13), Gerd Muller (14), Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16).
* Lionel Messi ranks second all-time for World Cup assists (9), behind only Pele (10).
* Lionel Messi is the only player to assist goals at five different World Cup tournaments.
* Lionel Messi holds the record for the longest period between a player’s first and most recent World Cup goals (16 years and 180 days).
* Lionel Messi is the only player to score a World Cup goal in his teens, 20s and 30s.
* Lionel Messi has won the most man of the match awards at World Cups with 9, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (7) and Arjen Robben (6). He also has the most man of the match awards at one tournament (4 in both 2014 and 2022), level with Wesley Sneijder (2010).
* Lionel Messi is one of only six players to appear at five different World Cup tournaments – Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafael Marquez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Guardado are the others.
* Lionel Messi is the favourite to win the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball, thus becoming the first player to win the trophy for best player at two tournaments in the process after claiming it at Brazil 2014.
* Lionel Messi is the only player in World Cup history – at least since such records began in 1966 – to score and assist a goal in four separate matches.
* Lionel Messi is the youngest player to play for, score and captain Argentina at a World Cup.
* Lionel Messi is the all-time top-scoring male South American in international fixtures (95 goals).
* Lionel Messi ranks third for all-time Champions League appearances (161), behind only Iker Casillas (177) and Cristiano Ronaldo (183).
* Lionel Messi ranks second for all-time Champions League goals (129), behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (140).
* Lionel Messi ranks second for all-time Champions League assists (40), behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (42).
* Lionel Messi was the fastest player to reach 100 Champions League goals (123 games), and the youngest to make 100 Champions League appearances (28 years and 84 days).
* Lionel Messi has scored the most hat-tricks in Champions League history (8).
* Lionel Messi has scored against the most different opponents in Champions League history (40).
* Messi is the only player to score in 17 and, subsequently, 18 consecutive seasons of the Champions League.
* Messi has scored the most goals in a single Champions League match (5 v Bayer Leverkusen in 2012).
* Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or awards of any player (7).
* Messi has won the most European Golden Shoes of any player (6).
* Messi ranks first for all-time La Liga goals (474), wins (383), assists (192), goals in a single season (50), free-kick goals (39), hat-tricks (36), braces (116), whatever the word is for four-goal hauls (5) and player of the month awards (8).
* Messi has won the second-most La Liga championships of any player (10), behind only Paco Gento (12).
* Messi has scored the most goals by a player for a single club (672, Barcelona).
* Messi has won the most trophies as a player for a single club (35, Barcelona)
* Messi scored the most goals for club and country in a calendar year (91 in 2012).
* Messi is the only player to score 60 goals or more in all competitions in two consecutive seasons, 40 goals or more in 12 consecutive seasons and 30 goals or more in 13 consecutive seasons.
* Messi is the only player to score in six different club competitions in a season twice.
* Messi was the first player to score consecutively against all teams in a professional league (2012/13 season).
* Messi is the only player to score in seven different official competitions in a single calendar year (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, Copa America, Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana and Club World Cup in 2015).
* Messi has scored 56 career hat-tricks.
#Messi𓃵 the best there has ever been!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 13, 2022
* Messi has faced 44 different teams in the Champions League, beating all of them at least once and scoring or assisting against all of them but Rubin Kazan (four games), Atletico Madrid (four games) and Udinese (one game).
* Messi has faced 40 different teams in La Liga, beating all of them at least once and scoring against all but Xerez (two games) and Real Murcia (one game), both of whom he assisted at least one goal against.
* Messi has faced 27 different teams in Copa del Rey, beating all of them but UDA Gramenet – the only team he has not scored or assisted a goal against in the competition.
* Messi has faced 21 different teams in Ligue Un, beating all of them but RC Lens (two games) and Strasbourg (one game) and scoring or assisting against all but Marseille (three games), Bordeaux, Auxerre and Strasbourg (all one game).
* Messi has faced five different teams in the Supercopa de Espana, beating all of them but Atletico Madrid and scoring or assisting against all of them but Espanyol (two games).
* Messi has faced five different teams in the Club World Cup, beating all of them and scoring or assisting against each.
* Messi has faced three different teams in the Super Cup, beating all of them and scoring or assisting against each.
