4 records Lionel Messi can still break before retirement
Lionel Messi is a living icon in the world of football. Regarded as the GOAT (Greatest of all time) by many fans, his skill and quality are unmatched.
A seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, four-time Champions League winner and over 30 trophy-winning medals in his cabinet, he has been decorated with success all through his career.
Despite having so much success in his career, Messi still has a few objectives left to fulfill. He also could break a number of records before hanging up his boots.
Indeed, there are quite a few unique, prestigious records that he’d want to make his own soon. So let’s look at the 4 records Leo Messi can still break before his retirement.
Can Messi secure the Most Assists in World Cup history?
The upcoming FIFA World Cup is going to be a very important one for the Argentine. It could be his final shot at winning the biggest international trophy that has eluded him all through his career. With Argentina being one of the favourites this time around, Leo will be confident of his chances.
He can also break some records in the tournament! One big one would be to become the player with the most assists in World Cup history. He has 5 assists in 19 appearances, 3 behind Diego Maradona – who holds the record currently.
Knowing Messi’s creativity, he’ll have a major influence on Argentina’s attacking style and set up big chances for his teammates. So, if his team makes a bit of a run, there’s a good chance Leo gets 4 assists in the Qatar World Cup and makes this record his own.
Most titles by a single player
Messi has won many, many titles in his celebrated career, 40, to be exact! That includes 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League and the Copa America crown with Argentina as well. But he is still not THE most decorated player in football history – at least trophy-wise.
Dani Alves currently holds the record for most trophies won by a footballer, having won 44 titles in his impressive career. Messi needs to win four more trophies to match that and five more to surpass it. Going by the kind of teams he’s playing with, it’s possible for him to do so.
PSG are almost guaranteed to win the Ligue 1 next season and should also clinch the Coupe de France title too. Messi should play at least 3-4 seasons more at the top and if able to win one or two trophies every season, he has a big chance to become the player with the most trophies ever won.
Messi aiming for Most assists in single Ligue 1 season
Messi might have only scored 6 goals in Ligue 1 last season, but he was quite prolific in setting things up for his teammates. He registered 14 assists in the league, the highest for any player in the last campaign.
However, Messi was still far from registering the most assists in a single Ligue 1 season. That record is held by his French midfielder Dimitri Payet, who recorded 21 assists for Marseille in the 2014/15 season. Payet’s record is yet to be broken, but Messi can try doing that this season.
He’ll have clinical finishers like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to help him, as he can fire up Ligue 1 in his second campaign. Knowing just how creative Leo can be, getting 22 league assists isn’t really the most impossible task for him at all.
By guiding Argentina to World Cup final he’d break appearance record
So far in his career, Leo has played in 4 separate World Cup editions. The 2022 Qatar World Cup will be his fifth edition, a feat only three other players in history have matched. However, Messi can set an impressive World Cup record in the upcoming edition. So far, he has made 19 appearances in the major tournament with Argentina across the four editions.
The player who holds the record for the most appearances in World Cup history is German legend Lothar Matthaus, who made 25 appearances across five editions. Messi, at least mathematically, has the chance to surpass him.
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If he is able to guide Argentina all the way to the final, that would mean he’d be making seven appearances in the Qatar World Cup, taking his personal tally to 26. That would set the record for the most matches played by a single player in FIFA World Cup history.