Argentina captain Lionel Messi produced another standout performance to inspire his side’s 2-1 comeback victory over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, but his display fell short of a long-standing record held by former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha.
Messi played a decisive role in Argentina’s victory at Atlanta Stadium after England took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 50th minute. The 39-year-old created Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser before setting up Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner to send the defending champions into a second consecutive World Cup final.
According to Opta and Sofascore statistics, Messi completed nine successful dribbles against England—the highest by any player at the 2026 tournament. He also recorded 94 touches, created four clear chances and registered seven touches inside England’s penalty area.
Opta said Messi became the first player since detailed records began in 1966 to record at least nine successful dribbles and two assists in a single World Cup knockout match.
Despite the achievement, Messi remains behind Okocha’s World Cup dribbling record of 15 successful dribbles, set during Nigeria’s Round of 16 clash against Italy at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Okocha, then 21, completed 15 of his 16 dribble attempts during the match against an Italian side featuring Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini. Nigeria eventually lost 2-1 after extra time.
The Nigerian legend’s tally remains the highest ever recorded at a World Cup. Brazil’s Jairzinho and England’s Paul Gascoigne follow with 13 successful dribbles, while Diego Maradona, Jamal Musiala and Johan Cruyff each recorded 12.
Earlier in the tournament, Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal matched another Okocha record from the 1998 World Cup by averaging 12 successful dribbles per 90 minutes across matches lasting more than 200 minutes.
Messi’s performance against England also extended his remarkable run of registering either a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches.
The Argentine superstar now leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, where Argentina will seek to retain the title they won in 2022.