Lionel Messi World Cup History: Goals, Appearances and Stats

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is officially underway, and that means several of soccer's biggest stars will take the pitch soon. Fans across the globe are eager with anticipation to watch Lionel Messi on the sport's biggest stage once again.

Here's everything you need to know about Messi's World Cup history before he plays in Qatar.

What World Cup Team is Messi on?

Messi was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, and plays for his native country in international competitions. The seven-time Ballon D'Or winner made his senior team debut in August 2005, and then appeared in his first World Cup at just 18 years old in 2006.

Messi owns the all-time records for most caps (165) and goals (95) in Argentina's history. He will serve as the team's captain once again in Qatar.

Has Messi Ever Won a World Cup?

Despite appearing in each of the last four World Cups, Messi has never captured a title at the tournament. He and Argentina were just one victory away from a World Cup win in 2014, but they fell 1-0 to Germany in the final, giving them a second-place finish.

That remains Argentina's best result during Messi's run since his WC debut in 2006. Most recently, this squad was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

How Many World Cup Goals Does Messi Have?

Over his decorated career, Lionel Messi has played in 19 World Cup matches. Scoring hasn't come as often as he'd like on soccer's biggest stage, though. He's notched six goals in his World Cup career.

Messi scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro. He then went scoreless in 2010, but had an assist in five matches. Messi turned it up during Argentina's run to the final in 2014, recording four goals in seven matches, including a two-score effort in the group stage against Nigeria.

Messi's most recent World Cup goal came in 2018, scoring once again against Nigeria.

Lionel Messi World Cup Appearances

Messi will make his fifth World Cup appearance at Qatar in 2022. This could, potentially, be his last chance to vie for a title with Argentina. The Argentines have made it past the group stage in every World Cup with Messi on board. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals twice (2006, 2010), Round of 16 once (2018) and final once (2014).

• 2006 (3 games played, 1 assist, 1 goal -- eliminated in quarterfinals)
• 2010 (5 games played, 1 assist, 0 goals -- eliminated in quarterfinals)
• 2014 (7 games played, 1 assist, 4 goals -- eliminated in finals)
• 2018 (4 games played, 2 assists, 1 goal -- eliminated in Round of 16)

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.