The Argentine superstar will be playing his fifth World Cup in Qatar this year...
Lionel Messi finally quenched his thirst for winning an international trophy in July 2021 when he led Argentina to a Copa America title with a win over Brazil in the final.
He has also won every single trophy that exists in club football with his former employers Barcelona, however, his quest to win the biggest prize, the World Cup, continues.
Messi has participated in every edition of the showpiece event since 2006 and will be playing in his fifth World Cup in Qatar which is set to kick off on November 21, 2022.
The Argentine made his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro on June 16, 2006 in Argentina's second group stage match. La Albiceleste won the tie 6-0 with Messi scoring on his World Cup debut after coming on as a substitute.
In the next match against Netherlands, Messi started for the first time in a World Cup match. The game ended in a goalless draw. They faced Mexico in the Round of 16 where Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute. The South American giants won the match 2-1 in extra time and booked their place in the quarterfinal.
They were finally ousted by Germany in the quarterfinal losing in the penalty shootout. Messi did not feature in Argentina's final game. In total he played three matches and scored one goal.
In 2010, Argentina once again crashed out in the quarterfinal after losing to Germany 4-0. Messi had a lukewarm campaign as he failed to score even once despite playing in all five matches.
The 2014 World Cup turned out to be one of the finest campaigns in Messi's international career for La Albiceleste. The former Barcelona star bagged the Golden Ball Award despite losing to Germany in the final. But enroute final, Messi scored four goals in seven matches and almost single-handedly took them to the final.
In 2018, Messi once again had a forgettable outing. He managed to score only one goal in four matches as Argentina crashed out from the round of 16 after losing to eventual champions France 4-2. He had even missed a penalty in a group stage tie against Iceland.