ESPN provides game-by-game analysis of Lionel Messi's performances for Inter Miami and Argentina.

Check out the metrics behind Lionel Messi's historic run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lionel Messi let the tears flow at the final whistle, succumbing to emotion after Argentina conjured up an incredible two-goal comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.

Lionel Messi came to the rescue once again, scoring an equalizer vs. Egypt in the 83rd minute of their World Cup match. See all three Argentina goals.

Messi has never won a World Cup Golden Boot before, but he has won the Golden Ball twice in the World Cup, which is the prize for the best player in the tournament. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé, a man 11 years Messi's junior, already won a Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and could win another.

During the peak of their playing days, there was a genuine and heated debate” over who was the better footballer: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, said US magazine The Sporting News. But with his performance at the 2026 World Cup,

Lionel Messi is no longer the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer.

An unexpected name clinched the World Cup’s sixth-ever Goal of the Tournament award.

There's just one goal between the top two.