Lionel Messi He added a double in Argentina’s 4-1 victory over Guatemala that marked the last presentation before the Copa América and was one step away from becoming the second all-time top scorer in national teams. The player from Rosario only needs a little more to equal the record of the Iranian Ali Daei.
At the moment, Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer at the national team level and he also leads the table of players with the most appearances in national teams. The Portuguese boasts 130 scores in 207 games for his country, which places him ahead of Daei (109 in 149 presences) and the Flea (108 in 182 games).
In this way, at 39 years old, CR7 adds 22 more goals than the Rosario player 36 years old, having played 25 more games than the Flea.
In the scoring chart, in the middle of both stars, is the Iranian Ali Daei, who between 1993 and 2006 converted 109 times. Although in this case a clarification must be made: that figure is the one officially recognized by FIFA although it has been under discussion for some time by Daei himself, who claims two other scores that are not in the legal records (they were against Afghanistan for the 2002 Asian Games). In this regard, according to the Spanish newspaper Aceare not added because “it was with the Olympic team and not the absolute team.”
On the other hand, tonight the Argentine captain arrived at the 182 matches dressed in light blue and white. In this way, she was within reach of Ahmed Mubarak Kanoa footballer from Oman who played one more in his career, 183. If he adds minutes against Canada next Thursday, as expected, Leo will equal the line of the fifth player with the most appearances at the national team level.
This section, as said, is led by CR7with 207 disputed duels. The Kuwaiti is followed Bader Al-Mutawa (196) and the Malay Soh Chin Ann (195). Like the Portuguese scorer, his immediate pursuer continues to be active, however, Bader Al-Mutawa, 39, has not been part of his country’s national team in recent times, so it is estimated that he will no longer increase his numbers. .
Until this Friday, Messi is in sixth place in this table. In the coming days he will have the possibility of surpassing the mark not only of Kano, but also that of the Egyptian Ahmed Hasan (184).
For now, the Albiceleste They have three matches in the group stage: they will face Canada in the debut of the Copa América next Thursday the 20th, they will face Chile (Tuesday the 25th) and Peru (Saturday the 29th). If he advances to the semifinal of the competition in the United States, which would ensure him at least having the duel for third place with the greatest prize of playing in the final, the Argentine star could add up to 188 international parties.
In another order, it must be taken into account that in the 2021 title against Brazil, Leo equaled the mark held by the Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone since 1953 and became the player with the most appearances (34) in the Copa América: He played six duels in Venezuela 2007, four in Argentina 2011, six in Chile 2015, five in the United States 2016, six in Brazil 2019 and seven in Brazil 2021. By just adding one performance in 2024, he will remain the sole historical leader .
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo is already preparing to participate in the Euro Cup. The debut of the Portuguese national team will be on Tuesday, June 18 at the Leipzig Stadium against the Czech Republic in Group F; then it will continue against Türkiye (6/22) and Georgia (6/26). It must be taken into account that if he manages to lead his team to the final, the forward will have another four games ahead of him in the competition that will take place in Germany.
The Al-Nassr attacker He has the record for most appearances in the Euro Cup (25 games), and is also the top scorer in that competition, with 14 goals.
THE TABLE OF TOP GOAL SCORES IN NATIONAL TEAMS:
1- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 130 goals in 207 games *
2- Ali Daei (Iran): 109 goals in 149 games
3- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 108 goals in 182 games *
4- Sunil Chhetri (India): 94 goals in 151 games
5- Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia): 89 goals in 142 games
FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH THE MOST MATCHES IN NATIONAL TEAMS
1- Cristiano Ronaldo (207 appearances for Portugal) *
2- Bader Al-Mutawa (196 – Kuwait) *
3- Soh Chin Ann (195 – Malaysia)
4- Ahmed Hasan (184 – Egypt)
5- Ahmed Mubarak Kano (183 – Oman)
6- Lionel Messi (182 – Argentina) *
7- Andrés Guardado (180 – Mexico) *
8- Sergio Ramos (180 – Spain) *
9- Claudio Suárez (177 – Mexico)
10- Gianluigi Buffon (176 – Italy)
FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH THE MOST MATCHES IN THE AMERICAN CUP
1- Lionel Messi (34 matches – Argentina) *
2- Sergio Livingstone (34 games – Chile)
3- Zizinho (33 games – Brazil)
4- Víctor Ugarte (30 games – Bolivia)
5- Yoshimar Yotún (27 matches – Peru) *
6- Gary Medel (27 games – Chile) *
FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH THE MOST GOALS IN THE AMERICAN CUP
1- Norberto Méndez (Argentina): 17 goals in three tournaments between 1945 and 1947
1- Zizinho (Brazil): 17 goals in six tournaments between 1942 and 1957
3- Teodoro Fernández (Peru): 15 goals in seven tournaments between 1935 and 1947
3- Severino Varela (Uruguay): 15 goals in three tournaments between 1937 and 1942
5- Paolo Guerrero (Peru): 14 goals in five tournaments between 2007 and 2019 *
5- Eduardo Vargas (Chile): 14 goals in four tournaments between 2015 and 2021 *
7- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 13 goals in six tournaments between 2007 and 2021 *
* They are active
Source: IFFHS
