Lionel Messi will be looking to break four fresh World Cup records when Argentina face France in Sunday's final at the Lusail Stadium.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed an exceptional tournament in Qatar so far and is hoping to bring the curtain down on his World Cup career by lifting the biggest international prize, which would certainly add to his case of being the greatest of all time.
Messi's most recent display was up there with his best on the international stage as he inspired Argentina to a comfortable 3-0 semi-final triumph over Croatia on Tuesday, scoring a powerful penalty kick before setting up Julian Alvarez for his second of the match following an exquisite run down the right flank.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker has now scored five goals and provided three assists in six matches at this year's World Cup – moving him just in front of Kylian Mbappe (five goals and two assists) in the race for the Golden Boot – and he has broken a plethora of records along the way, with his most recent strike seeing him surpass Gabriel Batistuta to become Argentina's outright leading scorer at World Cups with 11 goals.
Messi is poised to break another record before he even kicks a ball against France, as he is expected to walk out for the 26th time on the World Cup stage on Sunday, which would see the legendary forward become the all-time record appearance maker in the competition's history, surpassing former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus (25).
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Messi has scored exactly one goal in five of his six games in Qatar, including two in the group stage against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, one in the last 16 against Australia, one in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands and one in the semi-finals against Croatia.
Should Argentina's No.10 find the net in Sunday's final, he will become the first player in World Cup history to score in every round in a single 32-team edition of the tournament.
In total, Messi has scored 11 goals and registered eight assists for Argentina across five World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2022, and one more goal would see him draw level with Brazil icon Pele (12) on the all-time list.
If the PSG attacker scores or provides an assist against France in the final, he will become the first-ever player to record 20 goal involvements at the World Cup since records began back in 1966.
Messi is currently level with 19 goal involvements along with Miroslav Klose (16 goals and three assists), Ronaldo (15 goals and four assists) and Gerd Muller (14 goals and five assists).
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In addition, Messi will surpass Diego Maradona's all-time World Cup record of eight assists in the competition if he sets up at least one of his teammates for a goal on Sunday.
Messi has made a total of 171 appearances for Argentina across all competitions since his international debut back in 2005 and has recorded 96 goals and 55 assists.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has confirmed that Sunday's final will be his last appearance at the World Cup, telling BBC Sport: "I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying.
"Everything I lived in this World Cup has been emotional, seeing how much it has been enjoyed in Argentina. There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don't think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant."
Messi will be hoping to guide Argentina to their third World Cup triumph and their first since 1986 when they face current holders France, who are also seeking to lift the prestigious trophy for a third time.
Oliver Thomas
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