Lionel Messi, forward of the Argentine National Team, reached this Sunday a new solo record in the history of the World Cups, as the player with the most matches of all time in the tournament, with 26, by beating the German Lothar Matthäus in the final this Sunday against France at the Lusail stadium.
Having reached the 25 mark for the German midfielder last Tuesday, in the semifinal against Croatia, it was already written that he was going to surpass him this Sunday, in his twenty-sixth and his last match in the World Cup; since his debut on June 16, 2006 against Serbia (6-0) at the age of 18 years and 357 days until this Sunday.
Since Germany 2006, when he played three duels; South Africa 2010, with five; Brazil 2014, with seven, and Russia 2018, with four, up to Qatar 2022, with seven. 26 matches. unmatched.
In this edition, Messi has surpassed Lothar Matthäus’s 25 games with Germany (two in Spain 1982, seven in Mexico 1986, seven in Italy 1990, five in the United States 1994 and four in France 1998); the 24 of the German Miroslav Klose; the 23 of the Italian Paolo Maldini; the 21 of the also Argentine Diego Armando Maradona, the German Uwe Seeler and the Pole Wladyslaw Zmud and the 20 of the Brazilian Cafu, the Germans Philip Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Pole Grzegorz Lato and the Argentine Javier Mascherano.
CLASSIFICATION OF PLAYERS WITH THE MOST MATCHES IN THE WORLD CUP:
.1. Lionel Messi (Argentina): 26 games (3 in 2006, 5 in 2010, 7 in 2014, 4 in 2018 and 7 in 2022).
.two. Lothar Matthäus (Germany): 25 games (2 in 1982, 7 in 1986, 7 in 1990, 5 in 1994 and 4 in 1998).
.3. Miroslav Klose (Germany): 24 games (7 in 2002, 7 in 2006, 5 in 2010 and 5 in 2014).
.4. Paolo Maldini (Italy): 23 games (7 in 1990, 7 in 1994, 5 in 1998 and 4 in 2002).
.5. Diego Armando Maradona (Argentina): 21 games (5 in 1982, 7 in 1986, 7 in 1990 and 2 in 1994).
.+. Uwe Seeler (Germany): 21 games (5 in 1958, 4 in 1962, 6 in 1966 and 6 in 1970).
.+. Wladyslaw Zmuda (Poland): 21 games (7 in 1974, 6 in 1980, 7 in 1984 and 1 in 1986).
.8. Cafu (Brazil): 20 games (3 in 1994, 6 in 1998, 7 in 2002 and 4 in 2006).
.+. Philipp Lahm (Germany): 20 games (7 in 2006, 6 in 2010 and 7 in 2014).
.+. Grzegorz Lato (Poland): 20 games (7 in 1974, 6 in 1978 and 7 in 1982).
.+. Javier Mascherano (Argentina): 20 games (5 in 2006, 4 in 2010, 7 in 2014 and 4 in 2018).
.+. Bastian Schwinsteiger (Germany): 20 games (7 in 2006, 7 in 2010 and 6 in 2014).
