An expected World Cup swansong for Lionel Messi will commence shortly, as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner seeks one final shot at glory with Argentina in Qatar.
Having already scooped countless individual accolades, a plethora of club trophies and last year's Copa America, the World Cup tick box is the only one on Messi's sparkling resume that remains blank, but there is firm belief that a 36-year wait for another triumph on the biggest international stage will come to an end.
Coincidentally, 36 is also the length of the astonishing unbeaten run that Lionel Scaloni's men will bring into the tournament, having not lost a match since 2019, and it is fair to say that Messi has peaked at the right time.
With 12 goals and 14 assists to boast from 19 Paris Saint-Germain games this term, Messi is already being tipped to shine in Qatar, and the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is no stranger to a World Cup stunner or two.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Messi's World Cup record as Argentina begin their quest for glory against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in Group C.
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Messi will be competing at his fifth World Cup for Argentina this winter, having represented his country at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions, albeit without a winners' medal to his name.
Still an emerging teenage talent at his first World Cup, Messi was brought on for the final 16 minutes of a group game versus Serbia and Montenegro, scoring and assisting as a late substitute in that 6-0 thumping before warming the bench as Argentina went out to Germany in the quarter-finals.
Despite playing every minute at the 2010 World Cup, that tournament was a forgettable affair for Messi, who only claimed one assist and zero goals in five games as La Albiceleste lost to Germany in the quarter-finals again.
Donning the captain's armband full-time in 2014, Messi hit four goals in the group stage but only added one assist to his haul from four subsequent knockout matches, before his dreams were shattered in the final by, you guessed it, Germany.
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Nevertheless, Messi was still voted the Player of the Tournament in 2014, becoming the first Argentine since the late Diego Maradona in 1986 to collect the prize, and he won four separate man of the match awards - the most in a single World Cup - before an underwhelming 2018 run.
Having failed to lead Argentina to victory against either Iceland or Croatia, a trademark Messi stunner got the job done against Nigeria to send La Albiceleste through to the last 16, where the attacker's two assists against France were in vain during a 4-3 loss.
All in all, Messi boasts a tally of six goals and five assists from 19 appearances for Argentina at the World Cup, and his strike against Nigeria four years ago means that he is the only player to score in their teens, 20s and 30s at the World Cup.
Six man of the match awards also makes Messi the leader in that category, and he remains the youngest player to play for, score for and captain Argentina at a World Cup finals.
Ben Knapton
