Lionel Messi set a new record, equaling the German Lothar Matthaus for the number of matches since 1998. The Argentine made his 25th World Cup appearance in the semi-final against Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Lionel Messi, joy with colleagues at CM 2022 QatarPhoto: Paul ELLIS / AFP / Profimedia

Messi repeated Lothar Matthaus’ World Cup attendance record

If he plays in Sunday’s final, Messi will surpass that figure. His first participation was at the World Cup in Germany in 2006, then South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, writes Marca.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Argentine showed his best performance to date, scoring five goals, three assists and being named man of the match three times.

Lothar Matthaus still holds the record with 25 World Cup finals appearances, followed by compatriot Miroslav Klose with 24 and Italy’s Paolo Maldini with 23.

Instead, the number of minutes played at the World Cup is held by the Italian Paolo Maldini with 2,217 minutes, followed by Messi with 2,194 and Matteus with 2,047.