KANSAS CITY.- If the numbers of Lionel Messi are immune to time, the dependence that their teams have on the Argentine star does not stop growing until reaching a new dimension in this World.
At 39 years old, Messi has had to perform like no other star in this World Cup so that Argentina be present in the quarterfinals, which will be played on Saturday against Swiss.
Scoring records
In the sixth World Cup of his career, Messi is competing at the same level as the best nine of this generation, such as Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
With eight goals in the first five games of the tournament, the Argentine is a great contender for the Golden Boot World Cup, one of the few awards that does not shine in its museum.
This production now surpasses its highest mark in the World Cups, which were the seven goals that paved the way for the Albiceleste to the title in Qatar 2022.
The captain’s goals account for 57% of the total of 14 that the Albiceleste has scored, which does not have another player with more than one goal.
The weight of Messi’s goals exceeds what he had in Qatar (47%) and especially that of the two victories of America’s Cup of this decade.
In the edition of Brazil 2021 he scored four of the 12 Argentine goals (33%) and in the United States 2024 only one goal out of a total of nine (11%).
Outside the environment of his national team, where everything revolves around Messi, his influence has also increased at the club level if one looks at his first two full seasons with him. InterMiami.
In 2024, the “Pulga” scored 20 goals in 19 regular season games played in the MLS25% of the Florida team’s total of 79 goals.
And in 2025 his record rose to 29 goals in 28 dates, 36% of the 81 goals of the franchise co-owned by David Beckham.
In this last campaign Messi took over the Golden Boot and the prize MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the MLS and led Inter to the first league title in its history.
More shots than all of them combined
Argentina’s need for its leader is not only reflected in the scores.
Lionel Scaloni He has at his disposal two of the most renowned forwards in European football, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martínezas well as flyers with arrival as Enzo Fernandez and Alexis MacAllisterboth with a market value of more than $80 million.
Even with all this arsenal, Messi has taken 18 shots on goal, a figure higher than the 16 of all his teammates combined.
Messi’s expected goals average (5.65) is also the highest in the championship, ahead of Haaland (4.54).
“Like wine”
Having achieved glory in Qatar, Messi did not see himself playing in a new World Cup, but he did not stop preparing physically and adapting his game to the speed and efficiency of today’s football.
Long before he entered his forties, he began to take even more care of his diet and strengthen his muscles.
On the pitch he tries to measure his efforts, but, due to the lack of rest due to the challenges that Argentina has faced, he is the fourth player on the team who has traveled the furthest distance with a total of 36 kilometers.
None of those values, in any case, would be enough without his extraordinary talent and insatiable competitive hunger.
“It’s like wine, time improves it. Incredible,” summarized the former international and now television analyst. Marcelo Gallardo.
