Sports Desk – The global stage is set for a historic showdown as Argentina prepares to battle Spain in the highly anticipated World Cup final.
While millions of fans eagerly await the crowning of the world champions, all eyes will heavily focus on Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.
The legendary forward is on the verge of playing in his third career World Cup final.
Having suffered heartbreak in 2014 before ultimately tasting ultimate glory in 2022, Messi now stands on the precipice of individual and collective immortality.
Beyond the dream of securing back-to-back world titles for Argentina, the final presents “LM10” with an extraordinary opportunity to smash or equal at least 11 historic football records.
Here is a breakdown of the monumental milestones awaiting Lionel Messi in the final:
Age and Leadership Milestones
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1. The Oldest Outfield Player in a Final: On the day of the final, Messi will be 39 years and 25 days old. This achievement will crown him as the oldest outfield player to ever feature in a World Cup final. The overall record for the oldest player remains with Italy’s legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who guarded the net against West Germany in 1982 at the age of 40 years and 133 days.
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2. Elite Captaincy Circle: When Messi steps onto the pitch, he will become only the second captain in football history to lead his country in three separate World Cup finals. He will join Brazil’s iconic former skipper Cafu, who achieved the feat in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
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3. Surpassing Maradona: By captaining Argentina in his third final, Messi will formally surpass the legendary Diego Maradona, who famously captained the Albiceleste in two World Cup finals.
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4. Back-to-Back Winning Captain: While players from Italy (1934, 1938), Brazil (1958, 1962), and Argentina’s own Daniel Passarella have won multiple World Cups, Messi has the chance to become the first captain in history to hoist the trophy twice consecutively.
Goalscoring Feats and All-Time Records
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5. Oldest Goalscorer in a Final: If Messi finds the back of the net, he will break the 96-year-old record held by Sweden’s Nils Liedholm, becoming the oldest player to score in a final. Liedholm scored against Brazil in the 1958 final at the age of 35 years and 264 days.
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6. Breaking a 96-Year-Old Argentine Record: Having scored eight goals in the tournament so far, another goal in the final will see Messi shatter Guillermo Stábile’s record from the inaugural 1930 World Cup for the most goals scored by an Argentine player in a single edition.
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7. Joining the Elite Double-Digit Club: A brace in the final would make Messi only the fourth player in history—and the first outside of Europe—to score 10 or more goals in a single World Cup tournament. He would join Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1958), Sándor Kocsis (11 goals in 1954), and Gerd Müller (10 goals in 1970).
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8. Multi-Final Scoring Mastery: Scoring in this final will place Messi in an elite club of just six players who have scored in two different World Cup finals, following his spectacular two-goal performance against France in the 2022 final. The others are Vavá, Pelé, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane, and Kylian Mbappé.
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9. Champion Top Scorer: If he scores to guide Argentina to the championship, Messi could surpass Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazário (who scored 8 goals in 2002) for the most goals scored in a single tournament by a member of the winning squad.
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10. Chasing Mbappé’s Final Record: Messi currently holds two goals in World Cup finals. A brace would match Kylian Mbappé’s record of four total goals scored in finals. Unbelievably, a hat-trick against Spain would set a new world record of five total goals in World Cup finals.
The Grand Finale
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11. The Ultimate Veteran Champion: Should Argentina emerge victorious, they will defend their crown to become only the third nation to win consecutive World Cups, matching Italy and Brazil. Furthermore, Messi will eclipse Brazil’s Nilton Santos (who was 37 when Brazil won in 1962) to become the oldest player to ever win back-to-back World Cups.
Whether Lionel Messi successfully secures these 11 records or simply focuses on lifting the coveted trophy, his presence in this final marks the twilight of an unparalleled era.
On July 19, football fans around the world will not just watch a match; they will bear witness to the ultimate dance of a titan rewriting the history books one last time.