Messi’s Argentina Eyes World Record in Qatar WC 2022

Lionel Messi, the undisputed king of football will again set off on a quest for the holy grail at the Lusail Stadium, the grandest and largest stadium of the eight 2022 World Cup grounds.

For the first time in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, all eyes will be on Lionel Messi as the charismatic leader of former world champions. Argentina is set to rewrite history at the grandest stage of them all. After breaking the internet with his Ballon d'Or arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi rubbished reports about sustaining an ankle injury on the eve of Argentina's Group C opener at the Qatar World Cup.

The footballers who currently hold the record of playing in five World Cups are Mexico's Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Márquez, Germany's Lothar Matthaus, and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon.

The PSG forward also stands the chance of breaking Diego Maradona's record for most matches played for Argentina in World Cups. Maradona played 21 matches for hi s nation, while Messi has so far made 19 appearances for his country. He is expected to break the record during the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Messi also stands the chance to break Maradona's record for most assists in the World Cup. Currently, Argentine legend Diego Maradona holds the record with eight assists. Messi on the other hand has six assists to his name across four editions. The Argentina captain stands the chance to break the record in Qatar by picking up three more assists.

The attention of the football universe, however, will only be on one man. Messi, with 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 matches, is enjoying his best club form in his 19th season as a professional. In national colors, his return is even more astounding this year with 11 goals in seven games.

A glance at Argentina's World Cup campaign 

Argentina is looking for their first FIFA World Cup title since 1986 and going into the tournament, the Lionel Messi-captained team, is currently on a 35-match unbeaten streak. Speaking about the Qatar World Cup campaign, Argentina sees itself placed in Group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Mexico. Argentina will play its opening match against Saudi Arabia on November 22. La Albiceleste will then face Mexico on November 27 in their second group match before facing Poland on December 1.

A win or a draw against the Gulf country would give Argentina a record-equalling result. Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-match unbeaten streak, one shy of matching Italy’s record. Argentina’s longest active unbeaten streak started in 2019.

Here are the top five unbeaten streaks in international football: