Lionel Messi will have another opportunity to enter World Cup history when he leads Argentina against Spain in the 2026 final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The Argentina captain is two goals away from equalling Kylian Mbappe’s record as the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup final matches. A hat-trick against Spain would take Messi to five goals and give him the record outright.
Mbappe currently leads the all-time list with four goals in World Cup finals. The French forward scored against Croatia in the 2018 final before completing a remarkable hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final.
That match ended 3-3 after extra time, with Argentina eventually winning the title on penalties.
Mbappe also became the second-youngest player to score in a World Cup final when he found the net in 2018 at the age of 19 years and 207 days. Only Brazil legend Pele achieved the feat at a younger age, scoring in the 1958 final when he was 17 years and 249 days old.
His treble in the 2022 final made him only the second player to score a hat-trick in the tournament’s deciding match, following England’s Geoff Hurst against West Germany in 1966.
Messi enters the 2026 final with two goals in World Cup finals, both scored against France in Qatar in 2022.
Two goals against Spain would draw him level with Mbappe, while three would place him alone at the top of the historic ranking.
Alongside the individual record, Messi will be seeking to lead Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup title in a final combining personal history with the national team’s pursuit of further global success.
Follow the latest news on Google News
