Lionel Messi, in the failed debut against Saudi Arabia: three new records and a goal to look for another

Lionel Messi assured in the press conference he gave on Monday before the match with Saudi Arabia that surely this will be his last World Cup. At 35, the man from Rosario is still a record-breaking car and on his debut in Qatar he took two and is about to win more, although nothing can take away the sadness of defeat.

Until Russia 2018, Leone, Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano They were the only three players to feature at four World Cup events. Now, the Argentine captain is the only one to participate in five. Against the Saudis he reached 20 games and on Saturday against Mexico he will equal Diego, who with 21 is the Argentine with the most appearances at the World Cup.

The Mexican Antonio Carbajal He was the first to feature in that number of competitions, between 1950 and 1966, for a total of 11 matches. Then the German Lothair Matthew He achieved the same number between 1982 and 1998, but completed 25 games, making him the most capped player in history.

In Brazil 2014 the goalkeeper joined Gianluigi Buffon, who was in attendance at France 98 for the first time, though he went bankrupt and didn’t play any games. Then he started 14 games between 2002 and 2014. Meanwhile, at Russia 2018, the Mexican Raphael Marquez he’s also reached five since 2002, with 19 total games.

Besides Messi, this will be the fifth World Cup for the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (17 games, 7 goals), Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoawho came on the bench in 2006 and 2010 and started in 2014 and 2018 (8 games in total), and Andrés Guardado, also from the Aztec, who didn’t come on for his debut against Poland.

With the penalty he converted early in the match, Messi reached the 7 conquests In the World Cup he left behind Matador Mario Alberto Kempes, who scored 6 goals in the ’78 World Cup, and was one step away from equaling Guillermo Stábile (8 in 1930) and Diego Maradona (8 between 1982 and 1994). Meanwhile Gabriel Batistuta with 10 is still the Argentine with the most goals at the World Cup.

But it has also become the fifth player to score goals in 4 different World Cups. So far only the Brazilian had succeeded PeleGermans Uwe Seeler Y Miroslav Close and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldothe only one able to score in five.

The Argentine star has 92 goals in 166 games with the blue-and-whites, seven in 20 World Cup matches and for now, at 35, he is the second oldest scorer at the World Cup, behind Martin Palermo (36 years and 7 months), and the fourth oldest to play, later Angel Labruna (39 years and 8 months), Wilfredo Caballero (36 years and 8 months) and ‘Loco’ himself (36 years and 7 months).