'God of Soccer' Messi's Injured Hand World Cup... A Step Closer to First Victory

Leading Croatia to the final with 1 goal and 1 assist in the semifinals... First championship challenge
25th World Cup match appearance ties record for most ever... 5th goal in this tournament, joint top scorer

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] With the Argentina national football team advancing to the World Cup final, attention is focused on whether Lionel Messi (35, Paris Saint-Germain), known as the 'God of Football,' will add a World Cup victory to his football legacy.

Argentina, led by Messi, secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Croatia in the 2022 Qatar World Cup semifinal held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar on the 14th (Korean time), advancing to the final.

Messi scored the opening goal from a penalty kick and assisted Juli?n ?lvarez (Manchester City) in scoring the clinching goal in the 24th minute of the second half, playing a leading role in reaching the final. This marks his second World Cup final appearance since the 2014 Brazil tournament.

The World Cup has been a bittersweet chapter for Messi. Although he has won the Ballon d'Or seven times, symbolizing the world's best football player, and lifted countless trophies with his club teams, he has yet to claim a World Cup title. The best result during Messi's tenure was the runner-up finish eight years ago in Brazil, with no other final appearances until now. However, with this tournament likely being Messi's last World Cup, all eyes are on the outcome as he reaches the final.

This year, Messi has broken several personal records. Starting in this match, he played his 25th World Cup game, tying the all-time record held by Lothar Matth?us (Germany) in this category.

By powerfully converting the penalty won by ?lvarez in the 34th minute of the first half, Messi scored his fifth goal of this tournament, tying with Kylian Mbapp? (France, Paris Saint-Germain) as the top scorers, and his 11th World Cup goal overall, placing him joint 6th in the all-time scoring list. Notably, his 11 goals in World Cup finals matches are the highest ever by an Argentine player.

The final goal of the match also marked Messi's 16th goal in A-level international matches this year, making it his highest-scoring year. The assist for ?lvarez's 3-0 clinching goal in the 24th minute of the second half was Messi's third assist of the tournament, tying him for first place in that category as well.

Additionally, Messi became the first player since 1966 to record both goals and assists in four different World Cup final matches. He achieved this feat in the 2006 Germany World Cup group stage match against Serbia, the group stage match against Mexico in this tournament, the quarterfinal against the Netherlands, and the semifinal match.

If he plays in the final on the 19th, Messi will surpass Matth?us to become the sole record holder for the most World Cup appearances. Should he also claim the championship trophy, it will add another shining record to his illustrious reputation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.