Lionel Messi turns 38 — A look at goals, assists of the FIFA World Cup winner from Argentina on his birthday
Though he did not have a performance to remember in his most recent match – a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras, where he could not assist or score a goal – his presence on the field has often been the difference in a career that has spanned over two decades.
At the international level, he is Argentina's record goalscorer. After agonisingly missing out on the World Cup in 2014, he led the side to its third and his first World Cup win in Qatar three years ago.
As the forward turns 38, Sportstar looks at the numbers behind what made the player from good to truly great.
Messi's stats in club football
Club Matches Goals Assists FC Barcelona 778 672 303 Paris Saint-Germain 75 32 35 Inter Miami 62 50 24
Messi's stats for Argentina
Competition Matches Goals Assists World Cup qualification 71 34 14 International Friendlies 56 51 19 Copa América 39 14 18 FIFA World Cup 26 13 8 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions 1 0 2 Total 193 112 61
Messi's stats in club football competitions
Competition Matches Goals Assists La Liga 520 474 216 UEFA Champions League 163 129 45 Copa del Rey 80 56 36 Ligue 1 58 22 31 Major League Soccer 38 31 17 Supercopa de Espana 20 14 6 CONCACAF Champions Cup 10 7 3 FIFA Club World Cup 8 6 1 Leagues Cup 7 10 1 UEFA Super Cup 4 3 3 MLS Cup Playoffs 3 1 1 Coupe de France 2 0 0 US Open Cup 1 0 2 Trophée des Champions 1 1 0
*All stats have been sourced from Transfermarkt.com and statistics of youth team football (with La Masia) have been excluded.
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