Lionel Messi 2022 World Cup stats and history: Goals, assists and more for Argentina lege
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He’s one of the greatest men of all time, but unlike his awe-inspiring power on the pitch, he’s a troubled man off it. As a child prodigy with incredible footage of the Argentine superstar, this is the Messi you’ve never seen before.
School friends describe how a shy boy with a growth hormone deficiency attracted crowds from the age of nine, while former team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Xavi were Messi’s answer in the dressing room.
Former Argentina teammates Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Mascherano and Hernán Crespo provide in-depth interpretations of Messi’s story. Argentina’s all-time leading scorer had to deal with a constant force of forwards while Diego Maradona’s controversial figure universally favored the South American nation.
Updated after Argentina’s semifinal win vs. Croatia.
| Stat | Total | Rank amongst 2022 World Cup players |
| Goals | 5 | =1st |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.75 | 1st |
| Assists | 3 | =1st |
| Expected assists (xA) | 1.63 | 3rd |
| Shots | 27 | 1st |
| Shots on target | 14 | 1st |
| Shot conversion rate | 18.5% | =57th |
| Chances created | 18 | 1st |
| Dribbles completed | 16 | 2nd |
| Dribble success rate | 50% | =57th |
| Touches in opposition box | 35 | 3rd |
| Successful passes | 249 | 21st |
| Passes played into the box | 38 | 4th |
| Total carries | 124 | 6th |
| Progressive carries | 68 | 8th |
| Duels won | 40 | =1st |
How many goal contributions did Messi have at previous World Cups?
At the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi is set to join just one of a handful of footballers to have played in five different editions of the competition.
To date, he’s played 19 times across four World Cups, with his best finish coming in 2014. That time around, Argentina got all the way to the final, where they were beaten 1-0 after extra-time by Germany.
Overall, the ex-Barcelona regular has scored in four of these tournaments, although he has only ever scored in a knockout stage victory.
Perhaps his best goal came against Naia in the first tournament of 2018 where he masterfully controlled the ball past a stubborn goalkeeper for that crucial Dur-Die leader.
In addition to his civic goals, he also recorded five assists in the group.
Lionel Messi World Cup history
| Games played | 25 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Assists | 8 |
| Win rate | 69.5% |
| Knockout matches won | 8 |
| Best finish | Finalist (2014) |
