[WATCH] Lionel Messi road to 18 World Cup goals: Super Eagles favourite victims

At 38 years old, Lionel Messi has rewritten football history by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with a staggering 18 goals. 

Despite his advancing age, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner shows absolutely no signs of slowing down; since guiding Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his output has only accelerated. 

Across his six tournament appearances, Messi has dismantled defences from every corner of the globe, finding the back of the net against 12 different nations: Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, France, Algeria, and Austria.

Statistically, Europe is the continent he has scored against the most, punishing UEFA nations with eight goals. 

However, the Super Eagles of Nigeria stand out as one of his favourite victims. Having conceded to Messi three times across the 2014 and 2018 tournaments, Nigeria share the unfortunate distinction of being his most breached opponent alongside Algeria (three goals).

Aged just 18, Messi announced himself on the global stage during an 88th-minute substitute appearance, capping off a 6-0 group stage demolition with a calm right-footed tap-in.

After blanking at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Messi doubled Argentina’s lead in the 65th minute with a trademark driving run and precise left-footed strike from the edge of the box in a 2-1 victory.

With the group stage match deadlocked in stoppage time (90+1'), the Argentine captain curled a stunning left-footed shot from outside the penalty area to secure a crucial 1-0 win.

Marking the beginning of his prolific record against the Super Eagles, undoubtedly one of his favourite World Cup victims, Messi smashed in a powerful, close-range rebound just three minutes into their final group match.

Before halftime in the same game, Messi delivered a spectacular 25-yard direct free-kick (45+1'), which famously left Vincent Enyeama rooted to the spot.

In a do-or-die group stage clash, Messi tormented his favourite opposition at the time yet again, perfectly controlling an Éver Banega pass with his thigh before firing home a crucial 14th-minute right-footed opener to influence a 2-1 win.

Kicking off his historic, title-winning campaign in Qatar, Messi calmly rolled a 10th-minute penalty past the goalkeeper, though Argentina ultimately suffered a shock 2-1 defeat in their opener.

When Argentina desperately needed a lifeline to avoid group stage elimination, Messi delivered a vital 64th-minute low-driven strike from outside the box to break the deadlock in a tense 2-0 win.

In his 1,000th career professional appearance, Messi opened the scoring in the Round of 16 with a perfectly placed 35th-minute left-footed shot through a defender’s legs.

During a heated quarterfinal clash, Messi confidently dispatched a 73rd-minute penalty to give Argentina a temporary 2-0 advantage before their eventual progression via shootout.

Messi opened the scoring in a 3-0 semifinal demolition by emphatically hammering a 34th-minute penalty high into the top corner, securing his team's passage to the final.

On the path to securing the ultimate prize, Messi coolly sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute of the legendary match.

In the 108th minute of extra time, Messi bundled home a close-range rebound to temporarily give Argentina a 3-2 lead before ultimately lifting the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy following a shootout.

Showing absolutely no signs of slowing down at age 38, Messi began a historic group-stage hat-trick by calmly finding the net in the 17th minute of a 3-0 rout.

Continuing his dominant display in Kansas City, the legendary forward struck his second goal on the hour mark (60') to put the match entirely out of reach for Algeria.

With a clinical 76th-minute finish, Messi completed his hat-trick and officially equalled Miroslav Klose’s long-standing all-time record of 16 World Cup goals.

Shaking off an early penalty miss, Messi made history in the 38th minute with a left-footed strike to claim the outright title of the World Cup's greatest-ever goalscorer.

Capping off his record-breaking night at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Messi sealed the 2-0 victory with a 90th-minute finish, further solidifying his record.