How Lionel Messi's major tournament record compares to Diego Maradona's

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time, but throughout his career he has struggled to emerge from the shadow of Argentine icon Diego Maradona.

Maradona's heroic performances in the 1986 World Cup are legendary. His individual performances as Argentina lifted the trophy are remembered as some of the most breathtaking in football history.

Messi played a pivotal role in delivering the Copa America for the Albiceleste in 2021 - ending the national team's 28-year long wait for silverware - but he hasn't been in able to emulate Maradona and lead Argentina to the most prestigious trophy of all.

Qatar 2022 almost certainly presents the 35-year-old's last chance to win the World Cup. Argentina were touted as one of the favorites ahead of the tournament but got off to a shock start with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia. Messi's international legacy is now at stake.

But how does Messi's record for Argentina compare to Maradona's? We've taken a look at how the two legendary footballers compare on the biggest stages of them all.

Using data from transfermarkt, we compared his record in major international tournaments with that of Diego Maradona to see who wins.

Lionel Messi

World Cup

Matches: 20Starts: 18Sub appearances: 2

Goals: 7Assists: 7Penalties scored: 1

Minutes per goal: 245 Minutes per goal without penalty: 285 Minutes per goal or assist: 122

Copa America

Games: 34Starts: 31Sub-Appearances: 3

Goals: 13Assises: 17Penalties: 3

Minutes per goal: 223.6 Minutes per goal without penalty: 290.7 Minutes per goal or assist: 96.9

Total

Matches: 54Starts: 49Sub-Appearances: 5

Goals: 20Assises: 24Penalties: 4

Minutes per goal: 231.1 Minutes per goal without penalty: 288.5 Minutes per goal or assist: 105.0

Trophies won 1 (Copa America 2021)

Diego Maradona

World Cup

Games: 21Starts: 21Sub-Appearances: 0

Goals: 8Assises: 8Penalties: 0

Minutes per goal: 238.5 Minutes per goal without penalty: 238.5 Minutes per goal or assist: 119.2

Copa America

Games: 12Starts: 12Sub-Appearances: 0

Goals: 4Assises: 0Penalties: 1

Minutes per goal: 270 Minutes per goal without penalty: 360 Minutes per goal or assist: 270

Total

Games: 33Starts: 33Sub-Appearances: 0

Goals: 12Assises: 8Penalties: 1

Minutes per goal: 249 Minutes per goal without penalty: 271.6 Minutes per goal or assist: 149.4

Trophies won: 1 (1986 World Cup)

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