Lionel Messi is an Argentine footballer who has represented the Argentina national team from his debut in 2005. Since then, Messi has scored 106 goals in 180 international appearances, [1] [2] making him the country's all-time top scorer; he surpassed Gabriel Batistuta's record of 54 goals with a free kick against the United States in the semi-final of the Copa América Centenario on 21 June 2016. [3] [4] He also holds the record for most goals by a South American male, surpassing Brazilian Pelé's 77 goals with a hat-trick against Bolivia in September 2021. [5] Messi made his debut for Argentina in a 2–1 away win over Hungary on 17 August 2005, [6] and scored his first international goal the following year in his sixth appearance, against Croatia. [1]
Messi's goal against Serbia and Montenegro, on 16 June 2006, at the age of 18 years and 358 days, made him the youngest-ever scorer for Argentina at a FIFA World Cup. [7] [8] He has scored nine international hat-tricks, and has netted twice in a match on twelve occasions. [1] In a June 2022 friendly against Estonia, Messi scored five goals in a match for Argentina for the first time. [9] Out of all his opponents, Messi has scored the most against Bolivia, recording eight goals in total. [1]
Messi has scored 31 goals in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making him the highest scorer of the qualification in CONMEBOL. [10] He has scored thirteen goals in the Copa América, [1] leading his team to victory in the 2021 edition of the tournament, also finishing as runner-up in 2007, 2015 and 2016. At the 2015 tournament, Messi allegedly rejected the Best Player award, and the trophy was omitted from the ceremony. [11] [12] Nonetheless, he received the Best Player award and accepted it for his performances in the 2021 tournament. [13] Messi has scored thirteen times in FIFA World Cup tournaments, [1] a record for Argentina; [14] he scored one goal in 2006, four in 2014, when he guided his team to the final, being awarded the Golden Ball for best player, [15] one in 2018 and another seven in 2022, when he captained Argentina to their third world title, scoring twice in the final and winning the Golden Ball for a record second time. [16] The remainder of Messi's goals, 49, have come in friendlies. [1]
Indicates Argentina won the match | |
Indicates the match ended in a draw | |
Indicates Argentina lost the match |
No. | Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | 1 March 2006 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | Croatia | 2–1 | 2–3 | Friendly | [17] |
2 | 8 | 16 June 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Serbia and Montenegro | 6–0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | [8] |
3 | 14 | 5 June 2007 | Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain | Algeria | 2–2 | 4–3 | Friendly | [18] |
4 | 4–2 | |||||||
5 | 18 | 8 July 2007 | Metropolitano de Lara, Barquisimeto, Venezuela | Peru | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2007 Copa América | [19] |
6 | 19 | 11 July 2007 | Polideportivo Cachamay, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela | Mexico | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2007 Copa América | [20] |
7 | 24 | 16 October 2007 | Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela | Venezuela | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [21] |
8 | 26 | 20 November 2007 | Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia | Colombia | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [22] |
9 | 27 | 4 June 2008 | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States | Mexico | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | [23] |
10 | 33 | 11 October 2008 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Uruguay | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [24] |
11 | 35 | 11 February 2009 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France | France | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [25] |
12 | 36 | 28 March 2009 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Venezuela | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [26] |
13 | 44 | 14 November 2009 | Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid, Spain | Spain | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly | [27] |
14 | 52 | 7 September 2010 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Spain | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | [28] |
15 | 54 | 17 November 2010 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Brazil | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [29] |
16 | 55 | 9 February 2011 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | Portugal | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [30] |
17 | 57 | 20 June 2011 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Albania | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [31] |
18 | 64 | 7 October 2011 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Chile | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [32] |
19 | 67 | 15 November 2011 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | Colombia | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [33] |
20 | 68 | 29 February 2012 | Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | Switzerland | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | [34] |
21 | 2–1 | |||||||
22 | 3–1 | |||||||
23 | 69 | 2 June 2012 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Ecuador | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [35] |
24 | 70 | 9 June 2012 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Brazil | 1–1 | 4–3 | Friendly | [36] |
25 | 2–1 | |||||||
26 | 4–3 | |||||||
27 | 71 | 15 August 2012 | Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany | Germany | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | [37] |
28 | 72 | 7 September 2012 | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina | Paraguay | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [38] |
29 | 74 | 12 October 2012 | Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, Argentina | Uruguay | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [39] |
30 | 3–0 | |||||||
31 | 75 | 16 October 2012 | Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile | Chile | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [40] |
32 | 78 | 22 March 2013 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Venezuela | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [41] |
33 | 82 | 14 June 2013 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Guatemala | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [42] |
34 | 3–0 | |||||||
35 | 4–0 | |||||||
36 | 83 | 10 September 2013 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay | Paraguay | 1–0 | 5–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [43] |
37 | 4–1 | |||||||
38 | 86 | 7 June 2014 | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina | Slovenia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [44] |
39 | 87 | 15 June 2014 | Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | [45] |
40 | 88 | 21 June 2014 | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Iran | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | [46] |
41 | 89 | 25 June 2014 | Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil | Nigeria | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | [47] |
42 | 2–1 | |||||||
43 | 95 | 14 October 2014 | Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 5–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | [48] |
44 | 7–0 | |||||||
45 | 96 | 12 November 2014 | Upton Park, London, England | Croatia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [49] |
46 | 98 | 13 June 2015 | Estadio La Portada, La Serena, Chile | Paraguay | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2015 Copa América | [50] |
47 | 104 | 4 September 2015 | BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States | Bolivia | 5–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | [51] |
48 | 6–0 | |||||||
49 | 105 | 8 September 2015 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States | Mexico | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly | [52] |
50 | 107 | 29 March 2016 | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina | Bolivia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [53] |
51 | 109 | 10 June 2016 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | Panama | 2–0 | 5–0 | Copa América Centenario | [54] |
52 | 3–0 | |||||||
53 | 4–0 | |||||||
54 | 111 | 18 June 2016 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States | Venezuela | 3–0 | 4–1 | Copa América Centenario | [55] |
55 | 112 | 21 June 2016 | NRG Stadium, Houston, United States | United States | 2–0 | 4–0 | Copa América Centenario | [56] |
56 | 114 | 1 September 2016 | Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, Argentina | Uruguay | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [57] |
57 | 116 | 15 November 2016 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina | Colombia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [58] |
58 | 117 | 23 March 2017 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Chile | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [59] |
59 | 121 | 10 October 2017 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador | Ecuador | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | [60] |
60 | 2–1 | |||||||
61 | 3–1 | |||||||
62 | 124 | 29 May 2018 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Haiti | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | [61] |
63 | 2–0 | |||||||
64 | 3–0 | |||||||
65 | 127 | 26 June 2018 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia | Nigeria | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | [62] |
66 | 130 | 7 June 2019 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina | Nicaragua | 1–0 | 5–1 | Friendly | [63] |
67 | 2–0 | |||||||
68 | 132 | 19 June 2019 | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Paraguay | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2019 Copa América | [64] |
69 | 137 | 15 November 2019 | King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Brazil | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Superclásico de las Américas | [65] |
70 | 138 | 18 November 2019 | Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel | Uruguay | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly | [66] |
71 | 139 | 8 October 2020 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [67] |
72 | 143 | 3 June 2021 | Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, Argentina | Chile | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [68] |
73 | 145 | 14 June 2021 | Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Chile | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2021 Copa América | [69] |
74 | 148 | 28 June 2021 | Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil | Bolivia | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2021 Copa América | [70] |
75 | 3–0 | |||||||
76 | 149 | 3 July 2021 | Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, Brazil | Ecuador | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2021 Copa América | [71] |
77 | 153 | 9 September 2021 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Bolivia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [72] |
78 | 2–0 | |||||||
79 | 3–0 | |||||||
80 | 155 | 10 October 2021 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Uruguay | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [73] |
81 | 159 | 25 March 2022 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Venezuela | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [74] |
82 | 162 | 5 June 2022 | Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona, Spain | Estonia | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | [9] |
83 | 2–0 | |||||||
84 | 3–0 | |||||||
85 | 4–0 | |||||||
86 | 5–0 | |||||||
87 | 163 | 23 September 2022 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | Honduras | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [75] |
88 | 3–0 | |||||||
89 | 164 | 27 September 2022 | Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States | Jamaica | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [76] |
90 | 3–0 | |||||||
91 | 165 | 16 November 2022 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates | 4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | [77] |
92 | 166 | 22 November 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [78] |
93 | 167 | 26 November 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Mexico | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [79] |
94 | 169 | 3 December 2022 | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Australia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [80] |
95 | 170 | 9 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Netherlands | 2–0 | 2–2 ( a.e.t. ) (4–3 p ) | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [81] |
96 | 171 | 13 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Croatia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup | [82] |
97 | 172 | 18 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | France | 1–0 | 3–3 ( a.e.t. ) (4–2 p ) | 2022 FIFA World Cup Final | [83] |
98 | 3–2 | |||||||
99 | 173 | 23 March 2023 | Estadio Más Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Panama | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [84] |
100 | 174 | 28 March 2023 | Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, Argentina | Curaçao | 1–0 | 7–0 | Friendly | [85] |
101 | 3–0 | |||||||
102 | 5–0 | |||||||
103 | 175 | 15 June 2023 | Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China | Australia | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [86] |
104 | 176 | 7 September 2023 | Estadio Más Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [87] |
105 | 178 | 17 October 2023 | Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru | Peru | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [88] |
106 | 2–0 |
No. | Opponent | Goals | Score | Venue | Competition | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 3 – (1–0', 2–1', 3–1') | 3–1 | Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | Friendly | 29 February 2012 | [34] |
2 | Brazil | 3 – (1–1', 2–1', 4–3') | 4–3 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Friendly | 9 June 2012 | [36] |
3 | Guatemala | 3 – (1–0', 3–0', 4–0') | 4–0 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Friendly | 14 June 2013 | [42] |
4 | Panama | 3 – (2–0', 3–0', 4–0') | 5–0 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | Copa América Centenario | 10 June 2016 | [54] |
5 | Ecuador | 3 – (1–1', 2–1', 3–1') | 3–1 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | 10 October 2017 | [60] |
6 | Haiti | 3 – (1–0', 2–0', 3–0') | 4–0 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Friendly | 29 May 2018 | [61] |
7 | Bolivia | 3 – (1–0', 2–0', 3–0') | 3–0 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | 9 September 2021 | [89] |
8 | Estonia | 5 – (1–0', 2–0', 3–0', 4–0', 5–0') | 5–0 | Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona, Spain | Friendly | 5 June 2022 | [9] |
9 | Curaçao | 3 – (1–0', 3–0', 5–0') | 7–0 | Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, Argentina | Friendly | 28 March 2023 | [85] |
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina.
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and was named the world's best player for a record eight times by FIFA. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and the UEFA Champions League four times. With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17). He also has the most international goals by a South American male (106). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).
Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo, also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the Premier League. He played for Manchester City from 2011 to 2021 and is the club's all-time top goalscorer and holds the record for most Premier League hat-tricks, with 12.
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed "El Pistolero", he is regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest strikers of all time. Individually, he has won two European Golden Shoes, an Eredivisie Golden Boot, a Premier League Golden Boot and a Pichichi Trophy. He has also scored over 500 career goals for club and country.
Ángel Fabián Di María is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right winger or attacking midfielder for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Argentina national team. He is known for his dribbling, playmaking skills and unique finishing.
New Maradona or New Diego was a title given by the press and public to promising Argentine football players in reference to Diego Maradona as a benchmark. Since Maradona retired, people had been anticipating someone to lead the Argentina national team to a World Cup final, like Maradona did in 1986 and 1990. As a consequence, very talented youngsters were quickly labeled as the New Maradona, sometimes without any similarity in playing style. The New Maradonas were predominantly players in attacking or advanced playmaking roles — forwards, wingers, or attacking midfielders. The term gradually fell out of use after Lionel Messi successfully managed to lead Argentina to World Cup finals in 2014 and 2022, winning it in the latter, arguably emulating and surpassing Maradona to become the most successful Argentine footballer ever.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, also known as Neymar Júnior, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation, he is renowned for his flamboyant style of play, passing abilities, and two-footedness. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, being one of a few players to do so, and is the highest-scoring Brazilian player in Champions League history.
Faustino Marcos Alberto Rojo is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defender for Boca Juniors, where he is captain.
Germán Alejo Pezzella is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Betis and the Argentina national team, with whom he won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Franco Armani is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Argentine Primera División club River Plate. He was a member of the Argentina team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Paulo Bruno Exequiel Dybala is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Serie A club Roma and the Argentina national team. He is noted by sports journalists for his dribbling, speed, and goal-scoring ability.
The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry, or Ronaldo–Messi rivalry, is a sporting rivalry in football propelled by the media and fans that involves Argentine footballer Lionel Messi and Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, mainly for being contemporaries and due to their similar records and sporting successes. They spent nine seasons in the prime of their careers facing off regularly while playing for rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Guido Rodríguez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Argentina national team. He was a member of the Argentina team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Giovani Lo Celso is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Argentina national team.
Lautaro Javier Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan, which he captains, and the Argentina national team. He is known for his work rate, positioning inside the box, link play and finishing.
Julián Álvarez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentina national team.