Lionel Messi has finally topped a brilliant career with Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986.

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The heir to the throne of Diego Maradona bagged football’s biggest prize at his fifth attempt, cementing his name as the undisputed greatest player of our era.

The former Barcelona megastar retired in 2016 following Argentina's defeat to Chile in the Copa America final, but returned soon after to play for his beloved Argentina again.

And now, Messi has said he will not retire from Argentina duty just yet, saying he wants to "experience a few more games as a world champion".

Messi had previously said Qatar would be his last World Cup, but his manager Lionel Scaloni made clear the door would remain open for the 2026 edition.

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"We need to save him a spot for the next World Cup. If he wants to play, he'll be with us," Scaloni said.

Messi has grown into this tournament, sparkling in flashes throughout the competition with goals and assists littering his journey, before putting in a brilliant performance to secure the World Cup for Argentina.

RadioTimes.com brings you all the key figures around Lionel Messi at the World Cup and beyond.

For more World Cup features check out: World Cup 2022 TV schedule | World Cup 2022 kits ranked | World Cup 2022 stadiums

Lionel Messi World Cup goals

Read on for Lionel Messi's goal stats, or check out Kylian Mbappe goals scored at World Cup 2022.

Lionel Messi has scored seven goals at World Cup 2022 in seven starts.

If that's not enough, Messi has also picked up three assists in those games.

Group C: Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia (90 minutes, 1 goal)

Group C: Argentina 2-1 Mexico (90 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist)

Group C: Poland 0-2 Argentina (90 minutes, 0 goals)

Round of 16: Argentina 2-1 Australia (90 minutes, 1 goal)

Quarter-finals: Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (90 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist)

Semi-finals: Argentina 3-0 Croatia (90 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist)

Final: Argentina 3-3 France, 4-2 on penalties (90 minutes, 2 goals)

Lionel Messi career goals

Prior to the World Cup, Messi has scored 695 goals in 831 games in club football across all competitions.

Barcelona – 778 games, 672 goals, 269 assists

PSG – 53 games, 23 goals, 28 assists

Club total – 831 games, 695 goals, 349 assists

Messi has scored 98 goals in 172 matches for Argentina.

Argentina – 172 games, 98 goals, 53 assists

This has been Messi's finest calendar year of international football in his entire career with 17 strikes to his name so far in just nine matches. His next highest total was 12 goals in just five matches back in 2012.

CAREER TOTAL – 1,003 games, 793 goals, 350 assists (1143 goal contributions)

Check out our World Cup hub for all the latest from Qatar 2022, including match previews, predictions and analysis.

If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub.

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