Lionel Messi will be looking to break four World Cup records when his Argentina side lock horns with Croatia in Tuesday's semi-final clash at the Lusail Stadium.
The 35-year-old has been a standout performer for his country in Qatar and has contributed to six of their nine goals in five matches, netting four times and providing two assists.
Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes in a fiery quarter-final showdown last Friday, and Messi was involved in both of La Albiceleste's goals in normal time, with a sublime assist for Nahuel Molina followed by a coolly-converted second-half penalty.
Messi has both scored and assisted a goal in three different World Cup games, including two at this year's tournament against the Netherlands and Mexico, and also in a 6-0 group-stage win over Serbia and Montenegro back in 2006.
Should Messi contribute with both a goal and an assist against Croatia, the legendary attacker will become the first player in World Cup history to do so in four separate matches in the competition since records began in 1966.
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Messi's strike from 12 yards against the Netherlands saw him draw level with Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's joint-record scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals, but the Paris Saint-Germain star will top the nation's scoring charts outright if he finds the net against Croatia.
Before matching Batistuta's World Cup scoring feat, Messi surpassed Argentina icon Diego Maradona who scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 21 appearances on the biggest international stage.
Maradona's eight assists is the most by any Argentina player in World Cup history, but Messi could draw level or surpass the 1986 World Cup winner should he set up a teammate for at least one goal on Tuesday.
Messi has already broken two World Cup assist records at this year's tournament, with his first being achieved in the 2-0 group-stage win against Mexico.
Argentina's No.10 set up Enzo Fernandez for their second goal of the game and in doing so became the first player in World Cup history to provide an assist at five separate tournaments.
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Meanwhile, Messi's assist for Molina's goal against the Netherlands saw him become the first player to register five World Cup assists in the knockout rounds since records began in 1996, surpassing Brazil icon Pele with four.
Messi's 10 goals and seven assists have come in 24 World Cup appearances to date across five tournaments between 2006 and 2022.
The PSG attacker is expected to make his 25th World Cup outing on Tuesday, which will see him equal former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus for the most appearances in the competition's history.
Should La Albiceleste reach the final against either France or Morocco on Sunday, Messi will be poised to become the all-time leading appearance maker at the World Cup.
Messi – who was dubbed 'the best of all time' by head coach Lionel Scaloni after the win over the Netherlands – has made a total of 170 international appearances for Argentina across all competitions, scoring 95 goals and providing 54 assists.
Oliver Thomas
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