Sports News : As the illustrious career of Lionel Messi enters its twilight, the football maestro is set to close one of the most significant chapters of his international journey. The legendary Argentine is likely to be seen in the national team jersey until the 2026 World Cup, but his final competitive matches on home soil are upon us. The upcoming World Cup qualifier against Venezuela, scheduled for Friday morning Bangladesh time, could be his last competitive match for the national team at home. "This match is very, very special for me because it's the last qualifying match (in Argentina)," Messi himself has stated, acknowledging the significance of the occasion.
Following this emotional farewell to his home crowd, Messi will have one more match to play in the qualifiers—away against Ecuador on September 10th. This final game will not only mark the end of his incredible World Cup qualifying career but also present him with an opportunity to etch his name in the record books once more.
While Messi already holds the record for the most goals in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with a staggering 34 goals, he has never finished as the top scorer in a single qualifying campaign. In the current cycle, he sits in second place with 6 goals, just one behind Colombia's Luis Díaz who has 7.
Now, a new record beckons. With 71 matches played in World Cup qualifiers, Messi is on the verge of becoming the player with the most appearances in CONMEBOL qualifying history. He is just one match away from equaling the record of 72 held by Ecuador's Iván Hurtado. By playing in both the upcoming matches against Venezuela and Ecuador, Messi will surpass this milestone, bringing his total to an unparalleled 73 qualifying appearances. This would place him comfortably at the top of the list, ahead of Paraguay's Paulo da Silva (66 matches) and Bolivia's Marcelo Moreno (64 matches), who rank third and fourth, respectively.
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