The Argentina national team’s penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinal round was historic for Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi on many levels.
Messi was once again a catalyst as a playmaker for the reigning Copa America champions in a World Cup knockout stage match. The PSG star created three goal-scoring chances for teammates and also notched an assist against the Netherlands.
Messi’s assist in the first half of the contest was quite a historic one, as he broke Pele’s record for the most assists ever in the World Cup knockout stages with five.
5 – Lionel Messi has assisted five goals in the World Cup knockout stages – since Opta have World Cup assists (from 1966), this is the most on record in the knockout rounds of the finals, surpassing Pelé's four. Goat. pic.twitter.com/ScHbh5oj1b
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 9, 2022
Over his first three World Cups, Messi recorded a combined two assists in the knockout stages of the sport’s biggest tournament. He later went on to log a pair of assists in Argentina’s round of 16 defeat to France in the last edition of the World Cup.
Overall, the Argentine forward has tallied a total of six goal contributions at the 2022 World Cup with four goals and two assists.
