Messi has ascended to become the preeminent goal-scorer in the annals of South American qualifiers

Lionel Messi notched a brace in the fourth match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Peru.

With these two goals, the Argentine forward has etched his name as the leading scorer in the history of South American qualifiers, having netted 31 goals.

Additionally, Lionel Messi, the forward for the Argentine national team and Inter Miami, shared insights into his preparation for the upcoming matches with the national team.

"At this moment, I will continue training and strive to be in the best form for the matches against Uruguay and Brazil in November. After that, I will take a break in Argentina, with much more time than usual, and in January, I will embark on preseason preparation from scratch," Messi was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.

After four played matches, the Argentine team is comfortably leading the tournament standings, while their primary rivals, the Brazilians, are struggling to secure back-to-back victories.

Also, the captain of the Argentina national team compared his team to Barcelona and said that he was impressed by the team's level of play.