Despite not playing against Ecuador, the Rosario-born star finished at the top of the scorers' ranking for the first time
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Argentina National Team completed its journey in the South American Qualifiers with its ticket to the 2026 World Cup secured several matchdays ago. Despite the final defeat against Ecuador, the overall balance was positive in terms of results and performance. Throughout this campaign, Lionel Messi was the absolute protagonist and achieved an unprecedented milestone in his international career.
For the first time, the Argentine captain finished as the top scorer of the Qualifiers, with 8 goals. He surpassed Luis Díaz (Colombia) and Miguel Terceros (Bolivia) by one, as both finished with 7 goals.
Messi por primera vez terminó como máximo goleador de una eliminatoria
Additionally, the Rosario star also contributed 3 assists, being one of the best for the Albiceleste in this category along with Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernández, and Julián Álvarez, although he finished far from the absolute leader, who was James Rodríguez (7).
Messi's goals on the road to the 2026 World Cup
Matchday 1: Argentina 1-0 Ecuador → 1 goal
Matchday 4: Peru 0-2 Argentina → 2 goals
Matchday 10: Argentina 6-0 Bolivia → 3 goals
Matchday 17: Argentina 3-0 Venezuela → 2 goals
Leo's historic journey in the Qualifiers
This was Messi's sixth appearance in a World Cup qualifying campaign. His evolution:
Germany 2006: 0 goals
South Africa 2010: 4 goals
Brazil 2014: 10 goals (one behind Luis Suárez, top scorer)
Russia 2018: 7 goals
Qatar 2022: 7 goals
2026 World Cup: 8 goals (top scorer of the tournament)
With this new milestone, Messi not only led the National Team to another World Cup, but also added an unprecedented record to his brilliant career.
