Even at 38, magical Messi is still breaking records

At 38 years old, Lionel Messi has finished as the leading scorer in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers for 2026, the first time he has achieved this in his international career.

The Argentina captain scored 8 goals across the campaign, edging out Colombia’s Luis Díaz and Bolivia’s Miguel Terceros with 7 each. Ecuador’s Enner Valencia followed with 6. Remarkably, Messi’s total is the lowest ever for a top scorer since the current qualifying format was introduced in 1996.

His final appearance came in Argentina’s 3–0 win over Venezuela, where he scored twice and confirmed it would be his last competitive match on home soil. The night was emotional as Messi was seen in tears during the warm-up while fans chanted his name, with his family present in the stands. He did not feature in Argentina’s final qualifier, a 1–0 loss to Ecuador, with the team having already secured its place at the World Cup.

Messi has 114 international goals in 194 appearances, ranking second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in men’s football history. With the qualifiers now complete, his decision on whether to play in the 2026 World Cup remains open.