A new milestone for Messi! The Argentine leaves legends far behind at World Cups
Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
Lionel Messi has set yet another World Cup record, finding the net in Argentina's match against Cape Verde at the 2026 tournament.
Details: The 39-year-old Argentine scored against Cape Verde, bringing his tally to goals against 14 different national teams at World Cups.
No other player in the history of the tournament has ever achieved such a feat. Once again, Messi has raised the bar in a statistical category where he has long stood among the giants of world football.
Ronaldo, Miroslav Klose, and Jürgen Klinsmann are tied for second place in this category, each having scored against 10 different national teams at World Cups.
The list of opponents Messi has scored against at the World Cup now includes Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, France, Algeria, Austria, Jordan, and Cape Verde.
Reminder: In the Argentina vs Cape Verde match, Messi's goal was a historic moment in World Cup history for him.
