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Lionel Messi Record: Argentina Star Scores in 200th International Match, Closes in on Miroslav Klose’s FIFA World Cup Mark

By Samira Vishwas

Lionel Messi Record: As only the third player in football history to make 200 appearances for his nation, legendary star Lionel Messi achieved yet another milestone to his remarkable career. During his team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on Tuesday (Local Time), the Argentine captain accomplished the milestone, marking yet another significant milestone in his record-breaking career. To cap off his achievement, the Argentine captain scored in the 17th minute to put his team in the lead in the Argentina vs Algeria clash.

Lionel Messi becomes third player to play 200 international matches

With this appearance, Messi joins an elite list of international footballers with the most caps in history, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa. Players with the most international caps in history include Cristiano Ronaldo (228), Bader Al-Mutawa (202), Lionel Messi (200), followed by Luka Modric (198) and others on the list of global greats.

Messi’s 200th appearance came on the World Cup stage, underlining the longevity and consistency of the Argentine superstar, who continues to play at the highest level even in the twilight of his career. The milestone further cements Messi’s legacy as one of football’s greatest-ever players, as he continues to lead Argentina on the world stage in pursuit of more international success after winning the World Cup in 2022.

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Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cups

Messi has now featured in six FIFA World Cup editions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026), underlining his extraordinary longevity at the highest level of international football. Messi’s FIFA World Cup journey began in Germany in 2006, where he made three appearances, scoring once and providing one assist as Argentina reached the quarterfinals. In South Africa 2010, he played five matches, registering one assist but no goals, with Argentina again exiting at the quarterfinal stage. His standout tournament came in Brazil 2014, where he scored four goals and provided one assist in seven appearances, winning the Golden Ball as Argentina finished runners-up to Germany.

In Russia 2018, Messi recorded one goal and two assists across four matches as Argentina were eliminated in the round of 16. He then produced a historic campaign in Qatar 2022, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in seven appearances, winning another Golden Ball and leading Argentina to their third World Cup title.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi scores in Argentina vs Algeria

It took Lionel Messi only 17 minutes to open his goal-scoring account in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The two-time Golden Ball winner, leading Argentina’s title defence, opened the scoring in the clash against Algeria. Coming on to the goal, it was an absolute screamer from outside the box. This was Messi’s 14th goal in FIFA World Cups and he is now only two goals away from matching the all-time record currently held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.

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