Is this Lionel Messi's last World Cup?
By Sean Walsh
Lionel Messi has another chance to win a World Cup on Sunday when Argentina face France in the 2022 final.
The PSG star has already played in the showpiece event before, falling to Germany 1-0 after extra-time back in 2014.
This could be his last chance to win the tournament at the age of 35, but will it be the last chance?
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Is this Lionel Messi's last World Cup?
Messi confirmed following Argentina's semi-final win against Croatia that Sunday's final will be his last World Cup game.
"I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final," he said.
"It's many years for the next one and I don't think I'll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it's the best. It's all well and good [the records], but the important thing is to be able to achieve the group objective, which is the most beautiful thing of all.
"We're just one step away, after fighting hard, and we're going to give everything to try to make it happen this time."
How many World Cups has Lionel Messi played in?
The 2022 World Cup is the fifth that Messi has played in.
While a largely peripheral member of the squad in 2006, he was at the heart of Argentina's ultimately unsuccessful efforts in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
What is Lionel Messi's World Cup record?
After remaining an unused substitute against the Ivory Coast, Messi made his first World Cup appearance during the 2006 group stage against Serbia & Montenegro, coming off the bench to grab a goal and assist in a 6-0 win.
He started the subsequent 0-0 draw with the Netherlands before again being used as a substitute in the last 16 win over Mexico. However, he remained on the bench for their quarter-final defeat to Germany.
In 2010, Messi started all five of Argentina's games before again falling to Germany in the last eight. He was only able to register one asisst at this tournament.
Messi captained La Albiceleste all the way to the 2014 final, racking up four goals in the group stage and a winning assist against Switzerland in the last 16.
Argentina were eliminated in the last 16 in 2018 by Sunday's foes in France. Messi notched up one goal and two assists in four games that year.