La “Pulga” hit a low left foot shot, unattainable for the Mexican goalkeeper “Memo” Ochoa at minute 64 to blow up the Argentines, in a match in which almost no dangerous situations had been generated.
But the coincidence between the two best players in history is not only summed up in the number of goals, but also in the number of matches that each played in the World Cup: 21.
Messi’s goals in World Cups
– Germany 2006: 1 goal.
Lionel Messi’s World Cup debut was at the age of 18 against Serbia and Montenegro, in the match where the National Team thrashed the Europeans 6-0. On that occasion he came on from the substitute bench at minute 75 and at minute 88 closed the rout with a good finish between the legs of goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric and after an excellent delivery from Carlos Tevez.
– Brazil 2014: 4 goals.
The “Flea” had a fantastic group stage, scoring in all games. The first goal of his third World Cup came in his debut against Bosnia, which the National Team won 2-1. He then scored the agonizing goal of victory against Iran and against Nigeria he scored a double, with a great goal from a free kick included.
-Russia 2018: 1 goal.
A complicated World Cup for the Argentine National Team and for Messi.
In the debut he had a penalty to score 2-1 against Iceland, but it was saved and in the second game the national team fell 3-0 against Croatia.
The “Flea” goal came in the third match, again against Nigeria, with a cross shot after a perfect assist from Éver Banega.
– Qatar 2022: 2 goals.
The current World Cup seemed to be starting in full swing for Argentina. Messi’s goal just started the game and several clear situations in the first half against Saudi Arabia, but the Asians hit the ground running and won 2-1.
Messi’s second goal in this World Cup came against Mexico to unlock a game that was coming up very complicated.
Maradona’s goals in World Cups
-Spain 1982: 2 goals.
Maradona’s first two goals in the World Cup came in the match against Hungary, in which the Argentine team won 4-1.
The path of the National Team in that edition ended in the second phase, due to the falls against Italy and Brazil.
-Mexico 1986: 5 goals.
On Mexican soil, the “Ten” had the best individual performance in the history of the World Cups, with key participation in all phases that Argentina played.
His third World Cup goal came thanks to a fantastic finish to equalize the game against Italy. But Diego’s consecration performance was in the quarterfinals against England, with a double. He first conceived “The Hand of God” in anticipation of Peter Shilton and then scored “The Goal of the Century”, leaving half the English team behind.
In the semis he scored another double against Belgium in what for many was his best game in that World Cup.
Despite not scoring in the final against Germany, he gave an assist to Jorge Burruchaga to score the final 3-2.
– United States 1994: 1 goal.
The man from Rosario reached his fourth World Cup after an exhaustive physical preparation and his game reflected it in an excellent way. In the first game against Greece, Gabriel Batistuta had opened the scoring with a win, while around the hour of play Maradona defined the angle after a great collective move and starred in one of the best celebrations in living memory.
Finally, he ended up being expelled from that World Cup after giving positive in an anti-doping control after the game against Nigeria.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
