Messi leaves Argentina with record 126 goals: who can succeed the legendary striker?

Lionel Messi ended his career with Argentina in Wednesday morning’s friendly against Benin, leaving as the Albiceleste’s all-time leading scorer with 126 goals in 208 appearances.

That total places him 70 goals clear of his nearest challenger, Gabriel Batistuta, who scored 56 times in 78 matches. Messi also signed off with a goal against Benin, in a friendly played during the Fifa window following the World Cup.

Batistuta retains the best scoring rate among Argentina’s top 10 goalscorers, averaging 0.72 goals per game, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion.

Lautaro Martinez is the highest-ranked active player in the list. The current Argentina forward is third with 42 goals in 86 appearances, level with Sergio Aguero, who reached the same total in 101 matches.

Crespo moves ahead of Maradona

Hernan Crespo occupies fifth place with 35 goals, narrowly ahead of Diego Maradona, who scored 32 for Argentina.

Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria share seventh place on 31 goals each. Higuain has the stronger scoring record between the two, with an average of 0.41 goals per match compared with Di Maria’s 0.21.

Luis Artime is ninth with 24 goals, followed by Daniel Passarella and Leopoldo Jacinto Luque, who both scored 22 times. Passarella’s record carries the added distinction of having been achieved by a defender.

Herminio Masantonio scored 19 goals for Argentina, while Jose Sanfilippo, Norberto Mendez and Mario Alberto Kempes each finished with 18.

Messi’s international record

Messi scored his first international goal on 1 March 2006, finding the net for Argentina in a friendly against Croatia in Switzerland.

According to figures from the Argentine Football Association, his most productive calendar year was 2022, when he scored 18 goals.

Of Messi’s 126 international goals, 49 came in friendlies, while he scored 36 in World Cup qualifying, 17 in the Copa America and 13 at the World Cup.

Bolivia were Messi’s preferred opponents, with the forward scoring 11 times against them.

His international record also includes five goals in a single match, nine hat-tricks and 13 braces. Across his 208 appearances for Argentina, he maintained an average of 0.61 goals per game.