As we near the presumed end of his career, one man has done it all in world football and written his name in the history books of Argentina and the globe. As part of honouring one of the greats, this article will look at the best moments of Lionel Messi’s international career. With his nation, the attacker has won it all and delivered many legendary moments<\/p>\n
In 2006, the Inter Miami man was just starting to emerge as one of the stars of the footballing world. He had made his international debut in 2005 but it wasn’t until 2006 when he netted his first ever goal for his national team. In a friendly against Croatia, the future legend netted the second goal in a 3-2 defeat and got his tally started.<\/p>\n
Anyone who knows anything about football knows about the South American rivalries. Two of the richest nations in soccer history have gone head-to-head many times to be the best in the continent and the best in the world.<\/p>\n
Read More:\u00a0<\/strong>Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 29 Jersey Ever<\/a><\/p>\n In 2012, Messi defined his legacy by tearing Brazil apart almost single-handedly when he scored a hat-trick against his nation’s greatest rivals. The kicker is that the third strike of those was the game-winner in a thrilling 4-3 win that solidified his spot as one of the best in the world.<\/p>\n The Barcelona icon became his nation’s leading scorer a lot earlier than you might expect. Despite competing with legends like Diego Maradona, Sergio Aguero, and many others, the old record for most international goals for Argentina was just 56 by Gabriel Batistuta.<\/p>\n In November of 2016, the dribbling wizard made sure he went down in history as Argentina’s top scorer when he netted his 57th in a 3-0 win over Colombia. It was very clear by 2016 that the world was watching a genius at work, there was obviously a high skill barrier to what he could do, but what really blew everyone away was the intelligence. With his footballing IQ, Messi always knew where to be, when to be there, and what to do in the important split seconds that decide wins and losses.\u00a0 There are online IQ tests<\/a> for those wondering if they’re as smart as the legendary player.<\/p>\n In arguably the biggest match of his career, the Inter Miami took on the juggernaut French side fronted by superstar Kylian Mbappe. In one of the most action-packed World Cup finals of all time the veteran made sure the new breed knew that he was still top dog. Mesi twice gave his team the lead in a 3-3 thriller, and it’s a guarantee that without him, his nation would’ve come up short against an excellent French squad.<\/p>\n Despite everything he had accomplished, as his career wound down a failure to win the World Cup was held against the potential all-timer. His Barcelona heyday was behind him and his time with Paris Saint-Germain was seen as a retirement cheque with hopes of him winning the grandest prize winding down.<\/p>\n3. Record Goalscorer<\/h3>\n
2. Key Goals vs France<\/h3>\n
1. Lifting the World Cup<\/h3>\n