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On June 16 at 9 p.m. ET, Lionel Messi will kick off his sixth World Cup for Argentina when he and the Albiceleste take on Algeria in Kansas City.
The 38-year-old is set to become the first player ever to play in six editions, having previously played in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 (Cristiano Ronaldo could join him a day later with Portugal). He already holds a Guinness World Record for time in the World Cup with most minutes played at 2,314.
We’ve tracked every minute in his World Cup history, with the chart below treating each tournament as a single line and every segment representing the minutes Messi played in a given match.
Messi’s start at the World Cup began at a blistering pace when he came on as a substitute in the 75th minute against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany in 2006, scoring a goal and assisting another en route to a 6-0 win.
He would have to wait eight more years for his next World Cup goal as he mustered just a single assist across five games in 2010.
In 2014, Messi netted four goals in the first three games but fell largely silent as Argentina advanced in the knockout stages, eventually losing to Germany in the final.
The next World Cup in 2018 was again a middling performance, as Messi netted one goal and had two assists. Argentina lost 4-3 in the Round of 16 to eventual champion France.
Last go round in 2022, everything came together for Messi and Argentina. The Albiceleste won its third title, while Messi scored seven goals and made three assists. He lost out to Kylian Mbappe’s eight goals for the Golden Boot but did win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Messi played all 690 minutes across Argentina’s seven matches.
Where Messi goes from here is anyone’s guess. At the time of writing, Argentina is tied for fifth-highest odds to win with Brazil and behind France, Spain, England and Portugal, per BetMGM. And Messi may have lost a step from his peak, but he still has 12 goals in 14 starts this season for Inter Miami in MLS.
Methodology note: World Cup game-by-game statistics pulled from MessiStats.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chart: How Lionel Messi’s World Cup career unfolded
Continue reading...
The 38-year-old is set to become the first player ever to play in six editions, having previously played in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 (Cristiano Ronaldo could join him a day later with Portugal). He already holds a Guinness World Record for time in the World Cup with most minutes played at 2,314.
We’ve tracked every minute in his World Cup history, with the chart below treating each tournament as a single line and every segment representing the minutes Messi played in a given match.
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Messi’s start at the World Cup began at a blistering pace when he came on as a substitute in the 75th minute against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany in 2006, scoring a goal and assisting another en route to a 6-0 win.
He would have to wait eight more years for his next World Cup goal as he mustered just a single assist across five games in 2010.
In 2014, Messi netted four goals in the first three games but fell largely silent as Argentina advanced in the knockout stages, eventually losing to Germany in the final.
The next World Cup in 2018 was again a middling performance, as Messi netted one goal and had two assists. Argentina lost 4-3 in the Round of 16 to eventual champion France.
Last go round in 2022, everything came together for Messi and Argentina. The Albiceleste won its third title, while Messi scored seven goals and made three assists. He lost out to Kylian Mbappe’s eight goals for the Golden Boot but did win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Messi played all 690 minutes across Argentina’s seven matches.
Where Messi goes from here is anyone’s guess. At the time of writing, Argentina is tied for fifth-highest odds to win with Brazil and behind France, Spain, England and Portugal, per BetMGM. And Messi may have lost a step from his peak, but he still has 12 goals in 14 starts this season for Inter Miami in MLS.
Methodology note: World Cup game-by-game statistics pulled from MessiStats.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chart: How Lionel Messi’s World Cup career unfolded
Continue reading...
