Lionel Messi, who bid adieu to his international career on Monday, August 31, has finished as the all-time leading scorer for Argentina as well as their most-capped player. In a glorious career, marked by two Copa America wins and a World Cup triumph, Messi scored 125 goals for Argentina in 207 games. His international career is truly defined by extraordinary numbers, unforgettable goals as well as a journey that eventually took him to the summit of world football. Messi represented Argentina from 2005 to 2026, and is regarded as one of the greatest players to take the field.
Here’s how Lionel Messi’s International Goal Record Looks Like.
Lionel Messi International Goals
Lionel Messi’s first senior international goal came against Croatia in March 2006, shortly before he scored his first goal at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He went on to score across five World Cups, six Copa America editions and multiple World Cup qualifiers. Talking about his goals across multiple World Cups, Messi has 21 goals across five editions. In his first World Cup, he scored one goal, followed by four in 2014, one in 2018, seven in 2022 and eight in 2026, making him the tournament’s second-highest scorer after Kylian Mbappe.
In Copa America, Messi scored 14 goals, and led the side to their first trophy following a 28-year-long drought. He helped the team retain the title in 2024 as well as won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 by defeating France in the final.
Talking about his most prolific opponent, Lionel Messi has scored 11 goals, the highest, against Bolivia during his international career. One of the most significant performances of Leo Messi came in 2022, when he scored all five goals in Argentina’s 5-0 friendly win over Estonia. Apart from this, in his 21-year-long career, Messi recorded 11 hat tricks for his side.
