Messi ties World Cup appearance record with Matthaus

LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi tied the record for most appearances at the World Cup on Tuesday when he played for the 25th time for Argentina at soccer’s biggest tournament.

Lothar Matthäus of Germany previously held the record outright.

Messi, who is playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup, will have a chance to break the record because Argentina will play in either the final on Sunday or the third-place playoff on Saturday.

Messi has already reached some other World Cup milestones in Qatar.

He surpassed Diego Maradona as the Argentina player with the most appearances in the World Cup during the group stage, and joined Gabriel Batistuta with 10 goals in the tournament by scoring a penalty against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

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Argentina’s Lionel Messi controls the ball during warm up before the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Argentina and Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) Credit: AP/Pavel Golovkin