Lionel Messi made history again this June 16 by scoring for Argentina in his debut in the 2026 World Cup against Algeria. The albiceleste captain reached 120 goals with the senior team and expanded a collection of records that keep him among the greatest legends of world football.
Among those 120 scores there is one piece of information that directly connects with Guatemala: five of those goals were scored against the national team.
The first time occurred on June 14, 2013, when Argentina defeated Guatemala 4-0 in a friendly match played at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium. Messi scored a hat trick that night and was the great figure of the match.
Almost a decade later, on June 14, 2024, he met again with the Bicolor in a friendly played in the United States. Argentina won 4-1 and Messi scored two more goals to complete five goals against Guatemala, one of the teams he has scored against the most times in his international career.
The two goals scored against Algeria in the 2026 World Cup represent his 16th goal in World Cups and the first in the current edition of the tournament.
Furthermore, Messi continues to expand his historical records. He is the player with the most appearances in World Cup history and the Argentine top scorer in World Cup finals.
At almost 39 years old, the Argentine captain continues to write unprecedented chapters in a career that began precisely on June 16, 20 years ago, when he made his debut in Germany 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro.
While Argentina competes in its debut in Group J of the 2026 World Cup, Messi once again demonstrates that his link with the history of the tournament remains intact. And among the numerous rivals who have suffered his talent, Guatemala also appears, the protagonist of five of the 120 goals that the Rosario player has celebrated with the Albiceleste shirt.