Messi falls short of Okocha’s enduring record

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Argentina captain Lionel Messi delivered another masterclass to inspire his side’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, but the performance was still not enough to eclipse a long-standing record held by former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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Messi inspired Argentina from behind at Atlanta Stadium after England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon’s 50th-minute finish. The 39-year-old set up Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser five minutes from time before delivering the assist for Lautaro Martinez’s winner deep into stoppage time, as Argentina reached a second successive World Cup final.

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According to Opta and Sofascore statistics, Messi completed nine successful dribbles against England, the highest by any player at the 2026 tournament, while also recording 94 touches, four clear chances created and seven touches inside England’s penalty area, a figure matched by the entire England team.

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Opta confirmed that Messi became the first player since detailed records began in 1966 to register at least nine successful dribbles and two assists in a single World Cup knockout match.

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Despite the milestone, Messi’s tally remains well short of Okocha’s mark 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 aged 21, completed 15 of 16 dribble attempts across 120 minutes at Foxboro Stadium on July 5, 1994, against an Italian defence featuring Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini, as Nigeria narrowly lost 2-1 after extra time.

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Okocha’s tally remains the highest in World Cup history, ahead of Brazil’s Jairzinho and England’s Paul Gascoigne, who both recorded 13, while Diego Maradona, Jamal Musiala and Johan Cruyff each managed 12.

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Spain’s Lamine Yamal had earlier this month matched a separate Okocha record from the 1998 World Cup in France, averaging 12 dribbles per 90 minutes across matches lasting more than 200 minutes, a rate last achieved by Okocha during Nigeria’s run to the round of 16 in France.

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Messi’s display against England extended his run of registering a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches. He leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists heading into Sunday’s final against Spain, where Argentina will attempt to defend the title they won four years ago.

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