Lionel Messi returns for what is certainly his last World Cup as Argentina begins its quest for back-to-back titles on Tuesday against Algeria. Messi turns 39 on June 24, and the opening match puts the Argentina legend back on the sport's biggest stage less than four years after he flirted with the idea of retiring following the country's first World Cup since 1986.
That run raises a central question in the sport's greatest-ever debate: does a player need to win multiple World Cups to be considered the greatest soccer player of all time, or is one simply enough? Another Argentina win in 2026 could vault Messi over Pelé and all others in arguments about who stands alone at the top.
Pelé's World Cup Record
The legendary Brazilian remains the only player ever to win three World Cups. Pelé, now 82, his first at age 17 in 1958. As the youngest player to ever play in the World Cup at the time, he also scored two goals in Brazil's 5-2 win over Sweden in the final.
Brazil repeated the feat four years later even though Pelé appeared in just two games due to injury. After England the 1966 World Cup, a tournament the nation has famously failed to reach a World Cup final since, Brazil did not make it out of the group stage that season. Pelé added a third World Cup in 1970 before retiring from international play the following season.
His goals-to-matches ratio at the World Cup is simply otherworldly. Pelé scored six goals as a teenager in that 1958 World Cup and added four more in 1970. In total, he has 12 World Cup goals in just 14 matches. Messi has one more goal than Pelé does at the World Cup, but he has already played in 12 more matches.
Overall, Pelé scored 77 goals across 92 international caps for Brazil and helped revolutionize the game of soccer as he became a cultural icon. After a near two-decade club career at Santos in Brazil, he joined the New York Cosmos for three seasons at the end of his career. Even though he was not the player he once was, Pelé's move to the now-defunct North American Soccer League paved the way for other stars to come to the States long before Messi decided to spend the final years of his career in Miami.
The Case for Messi as GOAT
Pelé may have more World Cup trophies, but good luck finding anyone else with a résumé that compares to the Argentina legend. Messi has the Ballon d'Or, the award for best men's soccer player, eight times. That is three more than any other player.
Pelé was ineligible to win the award, which was given only to European players during his career. In 2016, France Football redid previous awards under the current standards and deemed that Pelé would have seven Ballon d'Ors.
Messi's club teams have their leagues 13 times, including in Spain, France and the United States. He four Champions League titles while at Barcelona, and scored 627 goals across 714 matches with the club across all competitions before moving to PSG in 2021. For his club career, Messi has averaged 1.32 goals and assists per 90 minutes played. Cristiano Ronaldo, the only man who can be considered Messi's modern contemporary has a career average of 1.11 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Messi also has the top-level longevity that Pelé did not have. Pelé's last World Cup came when he was 29 years old. Tuesday's game against Algeria will make Messi the first player to appear in games in six World Cups, though Ronaldo will join him in that club soon after and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa will as well if he plays at all during the tournament.
There is no debating Messi's cultural relevance, either. As the most popular athlete in the world, he is also being introduced to the millions of Americans who are not soccer fans. Go to any grocery store and simply count how many times you see his likeness. He is everywhere, selling things like potato chips and beer. A certain home improvement store is even selling a giant inflatable Messi to put in your yard.
