IFFHS names 39-year-old Lionel Messi best player of 2026 World Cup

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics named Argentine star Lionel Messi the best player of the 2026 World Cup. Messi scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in the tournament, where Argentina lost the final to Spain.

Scraper SystemJuly 22, 2026, 08:27 AM

IFFHS names 39-year-old Lionel Messi best player of 2026 World Cup

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) awarded the 2026 World Cup's Most Valuable Player award to Argentine legend Lionel Messi. The organization announced that the award was determined based on a comprehensive efficiency index derived from the player's performance throughout the tournament.

In the tournament where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final, Messi, who turned 39, scored 8 goals and made 4 assists in eight matches. With this performance, he became the second-highest scorer of the tournament, behind Frenchman Kylian Mbappe (10 goals).

IFFHS's evaluation criteria included weighted match scores, goals, assists, and especially the level of impact in the knockout stages.

Messi made his first statement after the defeat in the 2026 World Cup final.

According to media reports, Messi told his teammates that the final match was his last match in his national team career. Messi, who has played 207 matches and scored 125 goals for Argentina, won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, the World Cup in 2022; he was a World Cup runner-up in 2014 and 2026, and won the Finalissima in 2022.