Top five favourite international opponents of Lionel Messi

The Argentine is regarded as one of the greatest to ever grace the game

The stage doesn't matter to Lionel Messi whenever he steps onto the field. However, there has been a debate for a long time about Messi's number not being as strong as that of his club during his career. Having scored 102 goals in 122 games for the national team, Messi ranks in third place among all-time goal scorers in the international sphere.

The Argentine has now put that old scratchy debate to dust after winning the 2022 World Cup and taking the second golden ball home. Today we are here to look at his top five favourite opponents to score on the international arena. 

5. Chile- 5 Goals

Chile has been Lionel Messi's biggest nemesis throughout his international career. In the Copa America finals of 2015 and 2016, they gave him two heartbreaking moments, which even led to him making the difficult decision to retire in 2016.

In spite of this, Messi has always been able to overcome the challenge of facing the South American team. He has scored five goals against them over the course of 11 appearances. Messi's first goal against them came in 2011 while his last goal came during the Copa America in 2021.

4. Brazil- 5 Goals

In terms of international rivalry, Argentina and Brazil are known to be one of the most fierce. While Messi himself has rated matches against Brazil as difficult games to prepare mentally for, it has yet to impact Messi's performance on the field at all.

With five goals to his name, the Argentine magician has an excellent record when it comes to facing Brazil. His goal tally also includes a hat trick he scored against them in 2012, which is one of the most complete performances by an Argentine player against Brazil in a long time.

3. Uruguay- 6 Goals

Uruguay is another powerhouse in South America and another team that has been adversely affected by Messi's brilliance on the pitch. Messi has scored six goals against them. Even though Uruguay has some of the best defenders in the world such as Diego Godin and José María Giménez, they still have not been able to restrain Messi.

In 2008, Messi scored his first goal against them in a World Cup qualifier while his most recent goal came during the 2022 World Cup qualifier.

2. Ecuador- 6 Goals

Messi's memorable hat trick against Ecuador in 2017 during the do-or-die match of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers is the best example of his character that we can find today. It has been Messi's tendency throughout his career to step up when the team was in dire need of a hero.

In six appearances against Ecuador, Messi has always risen to the occasion and he has scored six goals. Given that he is likely to remain up until the 2026 World Cup, he can add plenty more goals to his tally.

1. Bolivia- 8 Goals

The Bolivian national team has been Messi's favourite opponent to play against throughout his career. The Argentine has scored eight goals against them in 11 games with an impressive 0.73 goals ratio per match.

The first time he scored a goal against them was during a friendly match in 2015 in which Argentina thrashed them 7-0. Since then, he has not looked back and continues to add more goals to his tally each day. During the 2022 World Cup qualifier match, he even managed to score a hat trick.