In... Lionel Messi's last dance at the World Cup, the "flea" received huge waves of adoration from the 50,000 Albiceleste fans in the stadium and... compensated them with the records he "broke" in his final "battle" Qatar vs. Bape's France.

Analytically

1. More appearances in World Cups.

As soon as Messi stepped on the pitch, he became the all-time leading record holder for the most appearances in a World Cup final. Making his 26th appearance in the competition, he surpassed Lothar Matthäus with 25 appearances.

The list of the 5 footballers with the most World Cup appearances:

Lionel Messi 26

Lothar Matthaus 25

Miroslav Klose 24

Paolo Cesare Maldini 23

Cristiano Ronaldo 22

2. The only footballer to score in all knockout matches

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar scored the first goal for his side in the top-flight clash and helped Argentina take the lead in the 23rd minute of the match. By scoring the goal, Messi became the only player in football history to score in every round of a competition. Messi found the net in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

3. Most World Cup wins by a footballer

Argentina defeated France in a thrilling final that went to extra time and then a penalty shootout. By winning his 17th match at the competition, Messi became the joint holder of the record for most World Cup matches won with Germany's Miroslav Klose.

4. Most minutes played in World Cup history

Messi broke Italy legend Paolo Maldini's record of 2,217 minutes. Messi, who had played 2,194 minutes in the World Cup before the final, became the player with the most minutes after spending 23 minutes on the pitch.

Argentina's road to the top of the world:

1st Match: Argentina - Saudi Arabia 1-2

2nd Match: Argentina - Mexico 2-0

3rd Match: Argentina - Poland 0-2

Round of 16: Argentina - Australia 2-1

Quarter-finals: Argentina - Netherlands 4-3 on penalties (2-2 draw)

Semi-finals: Argentina - Croatia 3-0

Final: Argentina - France 4-2 on penalties (3-3 draw)

Messi's other records

Let's look at the career of the captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi, in numbers.

499 million: Followers on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram (more than 10 times the population of Argentina)

$120 million: Messi's estimated earnings for the 2022-23 season before taxes and agent fees, according to Forbes.

$26.60 million: Messi's estimated transfer value, according to Swiss research group CIES Football Observatory.

2,315: Minutes played in World Cups. No one has played more.

853: Matches at club level with Barcelona B, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain

701: Club goals with Barcelona B, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain

172: International entries

98: International goal

37: Collective trophies won

35: Age

26: World Cup Games (Overall Record)

19: Appearances as captain in World Cups -- record

17: Wins in World Cup matches (tied with Germany's Miroslav Klose). Does not include wins on penalties.

16 years: The difference between his first and last World Cup goal

13: World Cup goals (Argentine record)

11: Game MVP Awards (since 2002 when they started)

7: Golden Balls

6: Players have played in five World Cups (Messi, Lothar Mathews, Antonio Carbajal, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado and Cristiano Ronaldo)

6: Assists in the knockout phase of the World Cups

5: Appearances in World Cups

2: World Cup Finals

1: Copa America

1: World Cup Title