Lionel Messi breaks FIFA World Cup record previously held by Diego Maradona in Argentina's 2-0 win against Poland
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi became the oldest player in FIFA World Cup history to record five or more chances created and dribbles completed since 1966, according to Opta (via PSGTalk). The 35-year-old forward achieved this feat during La Albiceleste's 2-0 victory over Poland in their final group-stage game of the tournament on November 30.
The record was previously held by none other than the late Diego Maradona. The Argentine great registered those stats against Nigeria at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
35y 159d - Lionel Messi is the oldest player on record (since 1966) to create 5+ chances and make 5+ dribbles in a World Cup match, with the previous oldest being Diego Maradona against Nigeria in 1994. Eternal. https://t.co/92PgQre2mh
Lionel Messi had a great outing against Poland despite not registering a single goal or an assist. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward also had his first-half penalty saved by Polish shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny. However, two second-half goals scored by Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez were enough for Lionel Scaloni's side to secure the all-important three points against Poland.
Messi's Argentina side have topped Group C at the World Cup and have booked a place in the knockout stages. The two-time world champions will now take on Australia in the Round of 16 on Saturday, December 3.
The Socceroos finished runners-up to France in Group D following a shock 1-0 victory over Denmark in their final group stage match.
The winner of the Round of 16 tie will face either the Netherlands or the United States in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi has been Argentina's best player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Despite a game without any goalscoring contributions against Poland, Messi has still been in excellent form for Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has contributed two goals and an assist in three group-stage matches so far in the tournament.
Messi opened his account with a penalty against Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the World Cup. La Albiceleste, however, suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Asian nation.
Lionel Messi, however, was at his best in a must-win game against Mexico on Saturday, November 26. The former FC Barcelona attacker registered a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory. This included a long-range strike to open the scoring for Argentina after the hour mark.
Lionel Messi: "Diego would be happy. He was always happy about the nice things that happen to the Argentina national team and personally with me too. He was always close, affectionate." 🇦🇷 https://t.co/O8A3gUVniK
Lionel Messi, however, is still a goal behind the current Golden Boot leaders at the tournament. The likes of Enner Valencia, Marcus Rashford, Cody Gakpo, and Kylian Mbappe have all scored three goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far.