Lionel Messi hits new international landmark after Argentina retirement decision

29 March 2023 , 05:25

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Lionel Messi scored international goals number 100, 101 and 102 (Image: AP)

Lionel Messi crossed the 100 international goals threshold after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina's victory over Curacao on Tuesday night.

The Paris Saint-Germain frontman was tipped by some to quit international football after leading his country to World Cup glory. Messi was named player of the tournament in Qatar, having scored in every single knockout game for Lionel Scaloni's side.

Instead of calling it quits, though, the veteran returned a hero for the world champions' pair of friendlies against Panama and Curacao after the national training centre was named in his honour. After scoring against Panama to take himself to a tantalising 99 at international level, he added three more in the second of his country's games to become the first ever Argentine to hit the 100 mark.

All three of Messi's goals against Curacao came in the opening 37 minutes, including his country's opener midway through the first half. Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was also on target, along with Nicolas Gonzalez, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Montiel, who scored the winning penalty in the World Cup final shoot-out.

Ahead of the World Cup final, Messi had admitted the game would "surely" be his final appearance in that particular tournament. He scored twice in the match, only for Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick to take the game to penalties, but Scaloni's men still prevailed.

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"[I am] Very happy to be able to achieve this. Ending my World Cup journey by playing my last match in a final," the forward said before that match. "Everything I experienced in this World Cup is something very exciting, what people experienced, how people in Argentina are enjoying it.”

How many more goals will Lionel Messi score for Argentina? Have your say in the comments section

Lionel Messi scored three of Argentina's seven goals against Curacao (AFP via Getty Images)

Messi's efforts come amid suggestions he might need to quit international football to earn an extension at PSG. The 35-year-old is out of contract at the Parc des Princes at the end of the season, and there has been interest from Major League Soccer.

"It will be necessary to be aware that Leo will no longer be able to play all the matches," Messi's former Barcelona team-mate Ludovic Giuly told Le Parisien.. "It will sometimes be necessary to rest before Champions League matches, for example.

"I can see a rhythm like three disputed matches and then one to rest. Leo says he still wants to play with Argentina and that might be a problem. After a certain age, you recover much less well from the fatigue of long plane trips. Should he give up the selection to continue? I don't know, but we'll have to talk about it."

Messi's 102 international goals leave him third on the all-time list of top scorers in men's international football, with only retired Iranian star Ali Daei and Portugal veteran Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him. Ronaldo also scored four times during the March international break, bagging braces against both Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

Even if Messi doesn't end up playing at the 2026 World Cup, he can still help lead his country to qualification. Argentina's qualifying campaign gets underway in September with a double-header against Ecuador and Bolivia.

Tom Victor