Lionel Messi has scored 48 goals in 97 appearances for Argentina, making him the country’s all-time top scorer.

He is also the only player to have scored five goals in a single World Cup game during Argentina’s 6-1 win over Iran in their Group F opener.

His best performance came at the 2014 World Cup when he scored four goals in four games as Argentina reached the quarter-finals. He also finished as joint top scorer in 2010 with five goals, but his team were knocked out by Germany at the round of 16 stage.

Messi is one of just two players to have scored at least three goals in three different World Cups (the other is fellow Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta), after finding the net twice against Nigeria and Iceland in 2018 and once against France, Serbia and Nigeria in 2014.

Last modified: July 31, 2022