Messi: 'Hopefully this madness never ends'
"This is a great way to end these days," Messi wrote on Instagram after the friendly match on the morning of March 29. "Everybody at the Santiago del Estero stadium was very impressed today. Hopefully we can continue to share such moments together, and hopefully this madness never ends."
The match against Curacao and the previous friendly match, beating Panama 2-0 on March 23, is an opportunity for Argentina to celebrate the 2022 World Cup championship with home fans. Messi contributed a goal in the victory against Pamana, then scored a hat-trick in the first half of the match today. Nicolas Gonzalez, Enzo Fernandez, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Montiel scored the remaining four goals for Argentina against Curacao.
Four goals from these two matches helped Messi raise the team's scoring record to 102 goals. The 35-year-old striker became the first player to reach at least 100 goals for the new world champion. The players right behind Messi have not reached the 60 mark: Gabriel Batistuta 56 goals, Sergio Aguero 41 goals, Hernan Crespo 35 goals, Diego Maradona 34 goals, Gonzalo Higuain 31 goals and Angel Di Maria 29 goals.
The 2022 World Cup is Argentina's first world title in 36 years. The blue and white striped team was crowned for the first time in 1978 at home. By 1986, the Maradona generation won the FIFA Gold Cup in Mexico.
Argentina is currently the fourth most successful team in the world when it has won the World Cup three times, behind Brazil with five championships, Italy and Germany with the same four times. France and Uruguay are tied for fifth with twice, while Spain and England are tied for once.
Argentina has been empty-handed since 1993, after winning the 14th Copa America, to 2021. This period only ends when Messi and his teammates won the Copa America in Brazil. By 2022, they will extend their winning streak with the Intercontinental Super Cup and then the World Cup.
Individually, Messi won the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball and Silver Shoe. In 2014, when Argentina lost 0-1 to Germany in the final, he also won the World Cup Golden Ball. He is the only player to have won this award twice.
