The 2026 World Cup final offers Argentina another opportunity to lift the trophy, while Lionel Messi stands one goal away from joining an exclusive group in the tournament’s history.
Should Messi score against Spain, he would become only the sixth player to find the net in two different World Cup finals.
The five players to have achieved the feat are Kylian Mbappe, Zinedine Zidane, Paul Breitner, Pele and Vava.
Mbappe scored in the 2018 and 2022 finals, while Zidane found the net in the deciding matches of the 1998 and 2006 tournaments.
Germany’s Breitner scored in the 1974 and 1982 finals, while Brazilian legends Pele and Vava both registered goals in two separate title matches. Pele scored in 1958 and 1970, with Vava doing so in 1958 and 1962.
Messi scored twice against France in the 2022 final, helping Argentina secure the title following a penalty shootout.
One goal against Spain would therefore place the Argentina captain alongside five of the greatest players in World Cup history.
Messi will also be seeking to guide Argentina to a second consecutive world title, while continuing to add to a career filled with major individual and team honours.
The final presents another chance for the veteran forward to deliver on football’s biggest stage and write a further chapter in his remarkable World Cup story.
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