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Messi at the World Cup: Goals, Assists and Stats
Lionel Messi played 72 games at the World Cup between 2005 and 2025, with 36 goals and 13 assists. Below are all his numbers, season by season, plus his favourite opponents and every hat-trick.
Messi at the World Cup: stats by season
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Goals/game | Pens | % pens | FKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/2006 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | – | 0 |
| 2007/2008 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0.33 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2008/2009 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0.25 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2009/2010 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | – | 0 |
| 2011/2012 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.60 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2012/2013 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0.63 | 1 | 20.0% | 2 |
| 2013/2014 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.00 | 2 | 100.0% | 0 |
| 2015/2016 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.50 | 1 | 100.0% | 0 |
| 2016/2017 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0.75 | 1 | 33.3% | 1 |
| 2017/2018 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.75 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2020/2021 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.33 | 2 | 100.0% | 0 |
| 2021/2022 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.56 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2022/2023 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.60 | 0 | 0.0% | 1 |
| 2023/2024 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0.75 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| 2024/2025 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.67 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 72 | 36 | 13 | 0.50 | 7 | 19.4% | 4 |
Messi's favourite opponents at the World Cup
| Opponent | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Bolivia | 8 | 7 |
| Ecuador | 8 | 6 |
| Venezuela | 9 | 6 |
| Uruguay | 9 | 5 |
| Chile | 8 | 4 |
See all of Messi's favourite victims →
Every Messi hat-trick at the World Cup (3)
| Date | Opponent | Competition | Result | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2024 | Bolivia | FIFA World Cup Qualifier | 6-0 | 3 |
| 9 Sep 2021 | Bolivia | FIFA World Cup Qualifier | 3-0 | 3 |
| 10 Oct 2017 | Ecuador | FIFA World Cup Qualifier | 3-1 | 3 |
See every Messi and Ronaldo hat-trick →
Messi at the World Cup: key facts
How many goals did Messi score at the World Cup?
Messi scored 36 goals in 72 games at the World Cup (0.50 per game), one every 166 minutes, and provided 13 assists.
What was Messi's best season at the World Cup?
The 2012/2013 season, with 5 goals and 2 assists in 8 games.
Which team did Messi score the most goals against at the World Cup?
His favourite victim is Bolivia: 7 goals in 8 games.
How many hat-tricks did Messi score at the World Cup?
3 hat-tricks and 4 braces.
How many penalties and free kicks did Messi score at the World Cup?
7 penalties (19.4% of his goals) and 4 direct free kicks.
What is Messi's win record at the World Cup?
40 wins, 20 draws and 12 defeats (55.6% of games won).
When did Messi debut at the World Cup?
On 3 Sep 2005 against Paraguay. His last game was on 4 Sep 2025 against Venezuela.
Data updated daily.
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Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup · Messi vs Ronaldo: full comparison
Cache date: 04-11-2026 12:28:18