By The Bengal Story Bureau: Lionel Messi marked his return from injury with a goal as defending world champions Argentina beat Iceland 3-0 in their final warm-up before the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the 38-year-old captain rewriting a 69-year-old national record in the process.
The Argentina captain came off the bench in the second half at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday night, scoring from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute in front of a crowd of 88,044. It was his first appearance in 16 days after he was forced off with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring while playing for Inter Miami against Philadelphia Union on May 24.
Valentin Barco had opened the scoring in the 8th minute with a left-footed strike from outside the box, before Messi doubled the lead from the spot and Thiago Almada added a third late on to seal a routine win for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
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A record that stood for 69 years
With his 117th international goal, Messi became the oldest player to score for Argentina, at 38 years, 11 months and 14 days. The previous mark was held by River Plate striker Angel Labruna, who had scored against Brazil in a friendly on July 7, 1957, at 38 years, 9 months and 8 days. The record had stood for nearly seven decades.
It was also Messi’s 199th appearance for the national team and, according to ESPN, the 911th goal of his club and country career.
Messi’s role beyond the goal
Messi entered the match as a 70th-minute substitute, replacing Giuliano Simeone. Within his first involvement, he played in Lautaro Martinez, who was fouled in the box to win the penalty. He converted the spot-kick himself.
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He was also involved in Argentina’s third goal, releasing his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, whose square pass was tapped in by Almada.
Argentina, who had earlier beaten Honduras 2-0 in College Station, Texas, on June 6, finished their pre-tournament preparations with two clean sheets.
What happens next
Argentina begin their World Cup title defence on June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City. They are placed in Group J along with Austria and Jordan, and will play both their remaining group matches in Arlington, Texas.
“All that other stuff is behind us now; they’ll judge us by what we do in this World Cup. We want to compete, arrive on the first day and leave on the last,” De Paul said after the match.
Scaloni, however, urged caution. “We can’t just think about being champions, we have to enjoy it one game at a time,” the Argentina manager said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and featuring 48 teams for the first time, kicks off on June 11.
