By participating in the World Cup Round of 16 between Argentina and Australia, Lionel Messi participated in his 1,000th match.
Pulga enters further into the legend. On Saturday 3rd, Lionel Messi will play his 1,000th professional match in the Round of 16 for Argentina against Australia. More precisely, the Argentine will have played 778 games for Barcelona, 53 with Paris Saint-Germain and 169 with his country.
¡Se viene el millar de Leo! Prior to Australia, Leo Messi won his number 1000 como profesional, contando desde su for the first time in Barcelona y sus participations in Selección Mayor.
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– SportsCenter (SC_ESPN) December 2, 2022
October 16, 2004: Date of his first match
his first game,bulga“I played on October 16, 2004 at Espanyol Park. That evening, the Argentine replaced the Portuguese Deco who was a star in the club at that time. He still needs a few matches to become the Argentine player who played the most professional matches. His compatriot, former defender Javier Zanetti, played , 1,113 games during his career.
Two other players present at World Cup finals have played more than 1,000 matches in their careers: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Daniel Alves. During the round of 16 against Australia, Lionel Messi will play his 23rd World Cup match. He will be just two games away from Lothar Matthaus’ record (25 matches).
Players in the match in the World Cup
1. Lothar Matthaus (Germany, 25 matches)
2- Miroslav Klose (Germany, 24 matches).
3- Paolo Maldini (Italy, 23 appearances)
4. Lionel Messi (Argentina, 22 matches)
5. Uwe Seeler (Germany, 21 matches)
5- Diego Maradona (Argentina, 21 matches)
5. Władysław Żmuda (Polish, 21 matches)
