Making his presence felt at the grandest stage of them all in Argentina’s tournament opener against Saudi Arabia, record-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi surpassed his idol and football great Maradona by opening his account at the FIFA World Cup 2022. Messi eclipsed Maradona by becoming the first Argentina player to score in four editions of the FIFA World Cup. On Sunday, Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-time Ballon d’Or arch-rivals matched Mardona’s feat of 8 goals at the FIFA World Cup.
The talismanic leader of La Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue) also equalled Maradona’s record feat by featuring in 21 matches for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup. The joint-most capped player for the two-time world champions has scored two goals at the FIFA World Cup 2022. Messi has overall netted 8 goals for the South American giants since his World Cup debut in 2006. Interestingly, Messi and Ronaldo both have netted 8 times each since their respective debuts at the FIFA World Cup during the 2006 edition of the showpiece event.
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Already embracing the twilight phase of their respective international careers, football icons Messi and Ronaldo have also reached new heights at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The former El Clasico rivals have bagged two sensational individual records in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Argentina captain Messi is the first men’s player to produce an assist in each of his 5 World Cup campaigns.
The Paris Saint Germain (PSG) superstar is the youngest (18 years 357 days vs Serbia in 2006) and the oldest (35 years 155 days against Mexico) player to both score and assist in a single World Cup game since the 1966 edition of the celebrated tournament. Days before Messi smashed a series of records in Argentina’s crucial 2-0 win over Mexico, former Manchester United superstar Ronaldo achieved a massive feat in Portugal’s FIFA World Cup 2022 opener against Ghana.
Goal machine Ronaldo is the first men’s player to score in 5 World Cup events. Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record and Messi’s assist-providing feat are two standout achievements of the modern-day football icons at the FIFA World Cup. On Monday, Ronaldo-led Portugal will meet Uruguay in its Group H fixture. Messi’s Argentina are scheduled to lock horns with Poland in its Group C encounter on Thursday.