Lionel Messi became the third player ever to score 100 international goals with his 20th minute goal against Curaçao on Tuesday, and the first to accomplish that feat with a men’s FIFA World Cup trophy. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Iran’s Ali Daei each scored 100 goals with their respective countries, but neither have a World Cup to their name. Messi, 35, won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022.
Messi also scored goals Nos. 101 and 102 in the first half of Tuesday’s game. The final score was 7-0 in Argentina’s favor.
Messi’s latest feat comes just days after he became the second-ever player to score 800 career goals, joining the aforementioned Ronaldo. Ronaldo holds the all-time record for career goals, which includes goals at the club and international level.
Messi has made 174 senior appearances for Argentina in his career, which is the all-time record for Argentina and fourth on the all-time list. Ronaldo’s 198 senior caps for Portugal is currently the all-time record.
At 102 goals, Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer by a margin of 46 goals. Messi became Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer in 2016 with a free-kick against the United States in the Copa América Centenario.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates scoring during an international friendly soccer match against Curacao in Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick and surpassed 100 career goals for Argentina with three in the first half of Tuesday’s international friendly against Curacao. The World Cup winners beat the Caribbean side 7-0 in their second match since clinching the trophy in December.
The 35-year-old Messi opened the scoring against Curacao in the 20th minute with a right-foot shot from the edge of the box to reach the 100-goal milestone. Nico Gonzalez added another three minutes later with a header from close range.
Messi then scored his 101st for Argentina in the 33rd minute with a crossed shot to the right of the goalkeeper and his 102nd in the 37th after an easy run to score. Two minutes earlier he had assisted Enzo Fernandez’ blast from the edge of the box.
The Argentine captain trails only two players on the list of most goals scored for national teams in official matches; Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 122, and Iran’s Ali Daei, with 109.
