Lionel Messi is undeniably one of the greatest players in the history of Football. In his illustrious career, Messi won many tournaments but is yet to win a World Cup.
He is now just a win away from fulfilling his long-lasting dream. His team Argentina defeated Croatia by 3-0 in the semifinal and qualified for the final.
Meanwhile, Messi has set up multiple records with this game. Have a look at them:
1. Messi is now the top scorer (11 goals) for Argentina in FIFA World Cup history.
2. He has equalled Germany's Lothar Mattheus record of most appearances in a FIFA World Cup (25 appearances).
3. Messi (9 assists) surpassed Diego Maradona's number of assists (8 assists) in FIFA World Cup history for Argentina.
4. Messi is the only sixth player to feature in five World Cups. The other five players are Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado and Cristiano Ronaldo.
5. He has made joint-best 18 appearances as captain with Rafa Marquez in the World Cup. The second best is by Diego Maradona (16 appearances).
6. Messi won 10 Man of the Match awards in total in FIFA World Cup editions. This is the most by any player in world cup history.
7. Messi also became the oldest player in football history to score 5 goals in a World Cup.