As soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), and Luka Modrić (Croatia) bid farewell to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup, the Soccer God Lionel Messi (Argentina) sets his sights on shattering more records.
Argentina, led by Messi, is set to face Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. (EST) at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA.
After clinching victory in the 2022 Qatar tournament, Argentina aims for back-to-back championships. They’ve kicked off this tournament with an impressive four-game winning streak, including a hard-fought victory against Cape Verde in the Round of 32, where they demonstrated remarkable focus to secure a crucial win.
At the heart of Argentina’s unstoppable momentum is none other than Messi. The team’s captain and talisman has already netted 7 goals, accounting for more than half of the team’s total tally of 11.
Along the way, Messi has been rewriting the record books. In the opening match against Algeria, he bagged a hat-trick, setting a new mark as the oldest player to score three goals in a World Cup game.
Messi continued his goal-scoring exploits in the second group match against Austria, netting a brace to bring his career World Cup tally to 18. This feat saw him surpass Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals, cementing Messi’s status as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
The Argentine superstar’s scoring streak showed no signs of slowing down. He came off the bench to find the net in the third group stage match against Jordan and opened the scoring in the Round of 32 clash with Cape Verde.
Since the Qatar World Cup, Messi has scored in eight consecutive matches, becoming the first player ever to reach the 20-goal milestone in World Cup history.
In the upcoming knockout match against Egypt, Messi aims to extend his scoring run to nine games and reclaim sole possession of the tournament’s top scorer title. His current tally of 7 goals puts him in a three-way tie with Erling Haaland (Norway) and Kylian Mbappé (France).
A goal against Egypt would also put Messi in striking distance of double-digit goals in a single tournament, a feat not achieved since Gerd Müller (Germany) scored 10 in 1970. The record for most goals in a single World Cup stands at 13, set by Just Fontaine (France) in 1958.
Egypt’s defense has shown vulnerabilities, conceding a goal in each of their four matches this tournament. This could present Messi with the perfect opportunity to add another record to his illustrious career.
