When Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup in 1986, he took himself to a level that has been etched in history for generations. There was a long-held belief in Argentina that no one could replace Maradona.
But four decades later, Lionel Messi has completely changed that calculation.
After winning the country’s third World Cup in 2022, he has also taken the team to the final of the 2026 World Cup.
He has now surpassed his legendary predecessor in almost every aspect of his career.
The picture of this change becomes clear just by looking at the statistics.
Until the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, Messi has played a total of 1,160 matches for Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and the national team. Of these, he has 919 goals, 455 assists and a total of 48 career titles.