Messi’s Record Against Paraguay: How Has He Performed?

After being eliminated from the MLS playoffs with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi is now in "national team mode," ready to take on a new FIFA Date in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers. His first stop will be against Paraguay, followed by a match against Peru to close out the year.

Messi’s Debut Against Paraguay

When he was still relatively unknown, the former FC Barcelona star debuted for Argentina’s U-20 team at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Buenos Aires in a friendly match against Paraguay’s U-22 squad. Messi came on for the second half, replacing Ezequiel Lavezzi, and quickly made an impact, scoring once and assisting twice in Argentina’s 8-0 win.

Messi's Goals vs. Paraguay

In a span of 13 matches against Paraguay, Messi has scored five times, though he didn't net his first goal against them until their fifth encounter. This came in 2012 in Córdoba, where Argentina, under coach Alejandro Sabella, won 3-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers for Brazil 2014.

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Messi continued to shine in qualifying matches. In 2013, he scored twice in Argentina’s emphatic 5-2 victory in Asunción, once again in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup. He later added goals in the Copa América: once in 2015 in Chile (2-2 in the group stage) and again in 2019 in Brazil (1-1 in the group stage), with Lionel Scaloni as head coach.

His most recent match against Paraguay was in October of last year at the Estadio Monumental. Messi entered in the 53rd minute, replacing Julián Álvarez, in a game that ended in a 1-0 victory for Argentina.

Overall, Messi's record against Paraguay includes six wins, five draws, and two losses.