Messi Breaks New Record in World Cup Final

By starting in his national team’s lineup, Messi became the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final, at 39 years and 25 days old.

Messi scored eight goals in this tournament, placing him second in the race for the Golden Boot behind Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who netted ten.

The Argentine magician is also second on the all-time World Cup scoring list with 21 goals across six World Cup appearances, while Mbappé has scored 22 goals in three World Cup tournaments.

Lionel Messi and his teammates are aiming to win the World Cup for the second consecutive time and the fourth time in their country’s history, while the Spanish side are chasing a second star after their first title in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente will face Argentina with the same lineup that secured a 2-0 victory over France in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made three changes to his squad compared to the lineup that beat England 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Rodrigo de Paul and Nico González will start in midfield, replacing Leandro Paredes and Julián Álvarez, while Gonzalo Montiel will occupy the right wing instead of Nahuel Molina.