Messi becomes oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final
20.07.2026 - 07:59 | Last Updated:
Lionel Messi added another milestone to his remarkable career by becoming the oldest outfield player to feature in a FIFA World Cup final. The Argentina captain also became only the second footballer in history to play in three World Cup finals.
Lionel Messi made FIFA World Cup history on Sunday after becoming the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a World Cup final.
The 39-year-old Argentina captain started against Spain in the 2026 final at New York New Jersey Stadium, surpassing Sweden's Gunnar Gren, who was 37 when he played in the 1958 World Cup final. The overall record for the oldest player to appear in a World Cup final remains with Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who was 40 in the 1982 final.
Messi also became only the second player in history to feature in three World Cup finals, following Brazil's Cafu, who appeared in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 finals.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni made three changes to the side that reached the final, bringing Gonzalo Montiel into the starting lineup at right-back in place of Nahuel Molina, while Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás González replaced Leandro Paredes and Giuliano Simeone in midfield.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, meanwhile, kept faith with the same starting XI that defeated France 2-0 in the semifinal.
The final also marked another milestone for Spain's young stars. Lamine Yamal, aged 19 years and six days, and Pau Cubarsí, aged 19 years and 178 days, became the third and fourth youngest players to start a World Cup final. Only Brazil legend Pelé and Italy's Giuseppe Bergomi were younger when they started football's biggest match.
The age gap between Messi and Yamal also set a new World Cup record. With more than 20 years separating the two Barcelona academy graduates, the 2026 final became the first in tournament history to feature starting players from opposing teams with an age difference exceeding two decades.
Messi entered the final with eight goals at the tournament, second only to France's Kylian Mbappé, who finished with 10. In all-time World Cup scoring, Mbappé leads with 22 goals, followed by Messi with 21. Had the Argentine scored in the final, he would have become only the sixth men's player to score in two different World Cup finals.
