IMAGO / Sebastian Frej
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Lionel Messi surpassed the 100-goal milestone in international football as he netted a hat-trick in Argentina’s 7-0 thrashing of Curacao.
The World Cup-winning captain has now bagged 102 goals in 174 appearances for his country, meaning he finds himself 46 goals clear of Gabriel Batistuta in Argentina’s all-time scoring charts.
???? Lionel #Messi alcanzó los 1⃣0⃣0⃣ goles con la Selección @Argentina. ¡Gracias por cada grito, capitán!
???? https://t.co/RGWV8PDdJ4 pic.twitter.com/GJJZVqLhgd
— ???????? Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 29, 2023
Messi netted three goals in the space of 17 first-half minutes to reach the landmark in the early hours of Wednesday morning, notching his seventh international hat-trick in the process.
The 35-year-old is one of only three men’s players to have scored 100 international goals, joining Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Iran’s Ali Daei in the exclusive club.
Messi made his senior international debut back in August 2005, aged just 18 years, one month and 24 days. Six months later, he scored his first goal for Argentina, netting in a friendly against Croatia.
After scoring twice at the 2007 Copa America, Messi netted hat-tricks against Switzerland, Brazil and Guatemala before lighting up the 2014 World Cup with four goals, although Argentina lost to Germany in the final.
Messi then scored five goals at the 2016 Copa America before notching hat-tricks against Ecuador and Haiti, with four goals and five assists coming during Argentina’s triumphant 2021 Copa America campaign.
Having bagged another hat-trick against Bolivia in 2021, Messi scored five goals in a single game against Estonia in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup.
Subsequently, little magician stole the show in Qatar, recording seven goals and three assists on his way to lifting the trophy, following a dramatic final in which he scored twice against France.
Since the World Cup, Messi has continued to remind everyone of his timeless talent, netting four goals across two friendlies to cement his status among international football’s elite.
As it stands, Messi has scored 48 goals in 53 friendlies, 28 in 60 World Cup qualifiers, 13 in 34 Copa American appearances and 13 in 26 World Cup matches.
Not only has he fired Argentina to World Cup and Copa America glory, but he has also claimed two World Cup Golden Balls, two Copa America Best Player awards, one Copa America Golden Boot and one World Cup Silver Boot.
Of course, we already knew that Messi was among the greatest players in football history. But his latest achievement of passing 100 international goals further confirms his legendary status.
