According to Opta’s statement on the social network, the 1/8 World Cup final match against the Australian team in Qatar will be the 1000th match of his career for the captain of the Argentina national team, Lionel Messi.
In the next match, Messi will enter the field in Argentina’s starting eleven. He currently has 788 goals and 338 assists.
The 35-year-old player has spent most of his career in Barcelona. In August 2021, the striker moved to Paris Saint-Germain. According to media reports, at the end of the World Cup in Qatar, Messi has to make a decision about his future career.
At the 2022 World Cup, Messi became the oldest player to have five or more dribbles and five or more goals scored in a single World Cup match. The previous record belonged to the legendary Diego Maradona, who achieved such a result at the 1994 World Cup.
Previously recognizedThe format of the 2026 FIFA World Cup may change again.
In 2017, the International Football Federation (FIFA) decided that 48 teams would compete in the tournament, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States and will be divided into 16 groups. At the same time, 32 teams will advance to the play-offs of the tournament.