Lionel Messi: Records that the Argentinian Magician can break at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

The Argentinian Magician and arguably the best player to tie a pair of cleats will be looking to recreate his magic of the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. As he hopes to win the trophy that haunts him the most, football world cup trophy at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Although Messi has revealed in a few interviews before the 2022 World Cup began that it is going to be his final tournament, many pundits and fans are rooting for Argentina to win the trophy. Even though they have had a rocky start to the campaign losing 2-1 to the underdog team of Saudi Arabia, this tournament might be where Lionel Messi sets new records as a 35 year old magician of the game.

Here we list some of the records The Argentine Maestro can break at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022:

Longest gap between first and last appearances playing at FIFA World Cup 2022

During the 90 year history of this prestigious tournament, nine players have had the record of appearing first and last by a gap of 16 years. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could both break those records at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The reason being the competition has been moved to the winter season in order to accommodate the weather of Qatar for the athletes.
Longest Gap Between First and Last Goals Scored playing at 2022 World Cup

The list of players to score in their first and last world cup goals is 11 with a 12 year old gap. Due to the 2022 World Cup being moved to the winters, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may become the only players who might score their FIFA World Cup goals 16 years apart. This record will never be broken because of the special circumstances of the competition.
Competing in Five Consecutive World Cups

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been participating in the world cup events since 2006. They will be the very few elite players who will have participated in the competition for the fifth time (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022). This will be likely their final world cup appearance.
Most Wins as a Captain – 12

Lionel Messi has been named the captain of his national team at the tender age of 22. And 13 years later, he captains Argentina for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Lionel Messi has 12 World Cup victories as a captain under his belt. The current record for the most victories as a captain belongs to Rafael Marquez. If Lionel Messi helps the Argentinian national team to quarter-finals he will break the record which currently stands.
Won the most World Cup matches – 12

Miroslav Klose has the most wins in a world cup matches for Germany at a staggering number of 17. If Lionel Messi makes it to the quarter-finals with Argentina, he will break the record held by the former German international star.
Most World Cup minutes played

The Argentine Magician lost his first game to Saudi Arabia after a shocking 2-1 defeat. If they manage to go further in the competition, he will surpass the total minutes played of 1624 minutes. Additionally, he will also surpass Maldini’s record of 2217 minutes played which is quite impressive in its own regard.