2022 FIFA World Cup Archives

FIFA World Cup Final: Messi on road to greatness with six records in sight

DOHA: One of the greatest footballers of all-time Lionel Messi is just one win away from achieving the biggest reward of his whole career when his side Argentina meets the holders France in the FIFA World Cup final today at Lusail Stadium.

Argentina’s captain has the last opportunity to make his final international appearance a memorable outing for him since he already announced his retirement from playing for his nation after this World Cup.

As France will be aiming to become the third team after Italy and Brazil to win consecutive titles, Messi’s Argentina will try to seal their first after a long gap of 36 years when iconic Diego Maradona led the way.

With all eyes fixed on the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to complete his set of medals – as the World Cup trophy remains the only missing link in his otherwise prolific career – there are multiple other records he can register in the final in Qatar.

Most wins by a player in World Cup:

Messi has already won 16 games in FIFA World Cup, but if he wins today’s final, he will equal legendary German striker Miroslav Klose’s record of the most wins in World Cups.

Most appearances in World Cups:

Notwithstanding the outcome of the final, the mere presence on the field will take Messi to his record 26th appearance in World Cups, most by any player, surpassing Germany’s Lothar Matthaus ( 25 appearances).

Most minutes played in World Cup:

Italian legend Paolo Maldini currently holds the record for most minutes played in World Cup history with 2,217. Messi, on the other hand, has played for 2,194 minutes so far while 24 more minutes will take him to the top of this chart.

Most assists in World cups:

The Argentina striker has contributed nine assists in FIFA World Cup games to date. With ten assists under his belt, Brazilian superstar Pele currently holds the top spot. Messi will break this record if he can assist his teammates in scoring at least two goals in the championship game.

Multiple Golden Ball awards:

With three assists and five goals, Messi is a prime contender for the Golden Ball, one of the two coveted individual awards at the World Cups. He was bestowed with the title in the 2014 World Cup and if he gets it this time around too, he will become the only player to win two ‘Golden Ball’, an award for the best all-round performer of the World Cup.

Winner of both Golden Boot and Golden Ball in World Cup:

Golden Boot, another prestigious individual award is given to the highest goal-scorer in an edition of the FIFA World Cup. The unique honour of being awarded both Golden Boot and Golden Ball is something that only seven players in the past, namely Silva (1938), Garrincha (1962), Ronaldo (1998 Golden Ball, 2002 Golden Boot), Paolo Rossi (1982), Salvatore Schillaci (1990), and former Argentina star Mario Kempes (1978) have achieved.

Tied with France’s Mbappe at five goals, Messi has to score more goals than his PSG team-mate to claim Golden Boot. And if Messi manages to get both awards, he will be the only player to do so in the present century.

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Senegal’s Sadio Mane ruled out of Qatar World Cup with leg injury

DOHA: Senegal star Sadio Mane has been ruled out of FIFA World Cup 2022 after a knee injury he sustained in a Bayern Munich match last week.

The Bayern forward was diagnosed with an injury to his right fibula after he limped off during a Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen, 13 days before his national team’s Qatar campaign.

Mane will miss out on the World Cup since he has not recovered in time before the megaevent, confirmed Senegal’s team doctor on Thursday

“Unfortunately, today’s [Thursday] MRI shows us that the improvement is not as favourable as we imagined and unfortunately, we have to withdraw Sadio from the World Cup,” said Manuel Afonso in a video posted on the official Senegal Twitter account. He added that surgical intervention was needed.

The former Liverpool forward’s phenomenal run this year earned him the runners-up spot in the 2022 Ballon d’Or – bagged by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.

Mane, 30, was named African Player of the Year as he was voted ahead of ex-teammate Mohamed Salah and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Senegal will face host Qatar four days after its opening game against the Netherlands. Its final game in Group A is against Ecuador on November 29.

The absence of its talisman will be a fatal blow for Senegal, as Mane inspired his national side to the African Cup of Nations title at the start of 2022, scoring the winning penalty in a shoot-out with Egypt.

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Messi says 2022 World Cup will ‘surely’ be his last

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina captain Lionel Messi on Thursday said that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will “surely” be the last of his career.

“It’s my last World Cup, surely. I feel good physically, I was able to do a very good pre-season this year, which I couldn’t do last year. It was essential to get to where I am, with a good state of mind and a lot of hope,” the 35-year-old told ESPN Argentina.

Messi, who is due to appear in his fifth World Cup, made his international debut in 2005 and has since won 164 caps for Argentina and is the country’s all-time record scorer with 90 goals.

In the interview, which took place in Paris where Messi plays for Paris Saint-Germain, he admitted he was nervous about the impending tournament.

“There is anxiety, nerves about the World Cup,” he said. “We can’t wait for it to start.”

Messi’s international debut as a substitute against Hungary in 2005 lasted just two minutes before he was sent off but he quicky established himself in the national team set-up and travelled to Germany for his first World Cup in 2006.

He went on to play in the 2010 edition in South Africa, 2014 in Brazil, where Argentina reached the final, and 2018 in Russia.

The current side, under the management of Lionel Scaloni, have now gone 35 games without defeat and are likely to figure among the pre-tournament favourites for the tournament.

“We have reached a good moment, with a very well-equipped and very strong group, but anything can happen,” said Messi.

“All the games are very difficult. The favourites are not always the ones who end up winning or taking the path that one expected.

“Argentina is always a candidate because of its history and what it means. But we are not the only favourites, there are other teams that are above us.”

Argentina get their bid for a third World Cup title, and first since 1986, underway on November 22 against Saudi Arabia in Lusail, before further Group C matches against Mexico and Poland.

Messi has often struggled to emulate Argentine icon Diego Maradona on the biggest international stage, although was surprisingly named player of the tournament after his team lost the 2014 final to Germany.

He only scored once four years ago in Russia as Argentina bowed out with a 4-3 defeat by eventual champions France in the last 16, following a humiliating 3-0 thumping by Croatia in the group stage.

But hopes are high that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner could bow out from World Cups with glory in the Middle East.

Messi won the best player award as he led Argentina to last year’s Copa America crown — beating arch rivals Brazil in the final — to win their first major tournament title in 28 years.

Qatar will likely provide the last chance for Messi and his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, to finally lift the World Cup.

“I am going to have to reassess a lot of things after the World Cup, whether it goes well for us or not,” Messi admitted in March.

“I hope it goes well, but a lot of things are definitely going to change.”

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