Four nations Lionel Messi has faced but never beaten in international football

Messi won the World Cup title with Argentina in 2022.

Lionel Messi has been one of the most prominent names in modern football. Despite his age (39), he continues to register new records in the FIFA World Cup, and is all set to appear in his third final in the quadrennial tournament.

In 33 appearances at the grandest stage of them all, the Argentine great has scored 21 goals, making him the all-time top goalscorer of the flagship tournament. He also became the oldest player to score a hat trick in the tournament after his sensational performance against Algeria during the 2026 campaign.

The 39-year-old is very close to securing another Golden Boot, having scored eight goals and registered four assists in the ongoing World Cup in North America.

Despite registering such records, there are some nations against whom Messi has failed to secure a win in the history of international football.

Also Read: Lionel Messi’s record in FIFA World Cup final

Nations Lionel Messi has never beaten

1. Saudi Arabia – 2 matches

The first one was a friendly in 2012. More than 50,000 fans turned up to watch this fixture. Messi started for Argentina and was also wearing the captain’s armband. He failed to score a goal and the game ended in a goalless draw.

La Albiceleste faced Saudi Arabia in the group stage during the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup. It was a disastrous performance by Argentina and is also considered one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history. Messi entered his name on the scoresheet early in the game, but it was not enough as the Green Falcons scored two in return to secure a 2-1 win.

2. Japan – 1 match

Messi started for Argentina when they faced Japan for an international friendly back in 2010. The Samurai Blue took a one-goal lead in under 20 minutes, and La Albiceleste failed to score. It was a 0-1 loss for the Argentines.

3. Romania – 1 match

Messi captained the Argentina national football team in a friendly against Romania in 2014. In the end, there was nothing to separate the two sides as the fixture ended in a goalless draw. Despite the likes of Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina failed to fire the ball at the back of the net.

4. Netherlands – 3 matches

Messi has faced the Netherlands on three occasions, and all of those fixtures were at the FIFA World Cup. The first one was during 2006, when the group stage fixture ended in a 0-0 draw.

For the second time (2014), Messi might have secured a win against the Dutch on penalties (4-2), but FIFA records a game that goes to penalties after extra time as a draw. He successfully executed his spot kick at the start.

Lionel Messi met the Netherlands for the third time during the FIFA World Cup 2022. It was a high-voltage clash between these nations. The Orange staged a late comeback, and the game ended 2-2 after extra time. Argentina later secured a win on penalties, and once again it counted as a draw under FIFA’s rules.

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