Lionel Messi boasts countless records in his wonderful résumé. But even at 36, the Inter Miami star continues to set feats. With Argentina’s 1-0 win at the Maracana in the World Cup qualifiers, Leo reached a new one: he is the player who has defeated Brazil the most in this century.
The forward did not have a great performance in Rio de Janeiro, as muscle discomfort in his right leg held him back in the second half. Nevertheless, the reigning world champions got the upper hand thanks to Nicolas Otamendi’s header to stay atop the standings.
READ MORE
++ MLS: New York City Brazilian player describes his pitch talk with Lionel Messi
++ Flamengo could face Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in a friendly
++ Thiago Silva likes post that regrets Neymar and Messi leaving PSG
Messi’s numbers against Brazil
With La Albiceleste’s latest win, Messi now boasts six victories against Brazil in 14 matches. The former Barcelona star faced the Seleção for the first time in 2001. According to Globo, there’s no player with that number of victories against the five-time world champs.
The player with the highest efficiency percentage against the Brazilian national team is another Argentine: Angel Di Maria, who celebrated five victories and two draws in the 10 South American derbies he played.
Messi also holds the record for the most goals
Even though he didn’t score at the Maracana, the 8x Ballon d’Or winner still holds the record for the most goals against Brazil this century (5). Three of them were in the thrilling friendly played in the United States in 2012, which ended in a 4-3 victory for Argentina.
Despite all this, there’s still one stain in Messi’s career when it comes to facing Brazil: it is the only opponent he hasn’t scored against in a World Cup qualifier. The team that has suffered Messi the most is Ecuador, who received six goals from him. La Tri are followed by Uruguay, who conceded five.
Samba Gold: Voting closed
Voting for the Samba Gold Award is closed and the winners will be revealed soon.
