Lionel Messi has once again defied Father Time, delivering a masterclass against England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals. By matching up against Spain next Sunday, the legendary Argentine playmaker is poised to participate in his third career World Cup final, positioning himself to achieve a milestone unmatched in the history of the tournament.
In 2014, then operating at the absolute peak of his athletic prime, Messi single-handedly carried Argentina to the final in Brazil. However, his dreams of hoisting the famous trophy were brutally shattered in extra time by a late, heartbreaking match-winner from Germany’s Mario Gotze.
At 35 years old, in what many assumed would be his last World Cup at Qatar 2022, the maestro rewrote the script by capturing the one major trophy that had eluded him in a spectacular penalty shootout victory over France. Now in 2026, following three stellar seasons with MLS side Inter Miami, Messi has stunned the global soccer landscape yet again, racking up eight goals and four assists over seven matches to guide Argentina back to the grandest stage.
With Sunday’s highly anticipated showdown against Spain, Messi is on track to become the first player in soccer history to start three separate World Cup finals. Across 23 editions of the tournament, while a handful of iconic names have reached three finals, none have done so as a member of the starting eleven each time while remaining the undisputed focal point of their national team.
Furthermore, Messi will become only the second player in history to step onto the pitch in three different finals. The only other man to achieve this is legendary Brazilian right back Cafu, who entered the 1994 final as a 21st-minute substitute for an injured Jorginho, before starting in both the 1998 final against France and the 2002 triumph over Germany.
The exclusive club of three-time World Cup finalists
Competing in a World Cup is the ultimate dream for any elite player, but stepping onto the pitch in three separate finals represents an almost mythic achievement. While Cafu and Messi stand alone at the pinnacle of this statistical mountain, a select group of legendary figures have historically come agonizingly close to joining them.
Pele, famously the only player to win three World Cups, missed out on playing in the 1962 final due to a severe muscle injury sustained in the group stage. Similarly, Ronaldo Nazario was an unused squad member for Brazil in 1994, German legend Lothar Matthaus remained on the bench as an inexperienced 21-year-old in 1982, and his countryman Pierre Littbarski went unused during Germany’s 1986 final appearance against Argentina.
