Argentina's #1 creator at the World Cup. Messi tops the squad with 4 assists, blending 80% passing, 59.0 km covered and a 30.4 km/h top speed. And he saves it for late: 3 of his assists came at the 53rd minute or beyond (79', 85', 90').
At a Glance
Tournament Aggregate
4
Assists
1 vs Egypt · 1 vs Switzerland · 2 vs England
59.0k
Total Distance (m)
6,712 m per 90"
80%
Pass Completion
275 / 346 passes
30.4
Top Speed (km/h)
Tournament peak
8
Goals
from 32 shots
792min
Time Played
99 min per match
19
Fouls Won
4 committed
0
Yellow Cards
No red cards
Assist Geometry · from event XY coordinates
How Lionel MESSI Creates Goals
🎯
Argentina's #1 creator. Messi produced 4 assists — more than Montiel (1), Martinez (1). Every pass below is plotted from the real event coordinates in the FIFA Knowledge Graph: the delivery point curving to the exact location each goal was finished from.
Algeria · W 3–0Austria · W 2–0Jordan · W 3–1Cabo Verde · W 3–2Egypt · W 3–2Switzerland · W 3–1England · W 2–1Spain · L 0–1
Hollow ring = assist origin · solid dot = finish location · arrow = pass-to-goal. Click any marker to open it in the Knowledge Graph. Coordinates normalised so Argentina always attacks right.
79'
→ Romero
EGY · assist
10'
→ Allister
SWI · assist
85'
→ Fernandez
ENG · assist
90'
→ Martinez
ENG · assist
Temporal Analytics · in-match snapshots
How He Changes the Game
The FIFA Knowledge Graph stores time-stamped analytics snapshots taken throughout each match. Tracked against minutes played, they reveal when his influence peaks.
⏱️
The closer. 3 of the assists arrived at the 53rd minute or later (79', 85', 90'). As legs tire, output rises — creativity, distance and top speed all climb after the break.
Threat Trajectory (xT)
In-match Expected Threat rating across the matches. Higher = more dangerous with the ball.
Distance Engine
Cumulative ground covered vs minutes played — the work-rate ramp to the final whistle.
Passing Volume Build-up
Cumulative passes played through the match — how constantly involved he stays.
First Half vs Second Half
Distance covered per half — does he sustain his output after the interval?
Match by Match
Performance Log
Argentina 3–0 Algeria 17 Jun 2026 · Group Stage · #10
W 3–0
0
Assists
3
Goals
6,981
Distance (m)
84
Played
40
Passes
77.5%
Pass Acc
6
Shots
4
SoT
29.4
Top Speed
Argentina 2–0 Austria 22 Jun 2026 · Group Stage · #10
W 2–0
0
Assists
2
Goals
8,008
Distance (m)
104
Played
40
Passes
72.5%
Pass Acc
7
Shots
4
SoT
29.7
Top Speed
Jordan 1–3 Argentina 28 Jun 2026 · Group Stage · #10
W 3–1
0
Assists
1
Goals
2,568
Distance (m)
35
Played
21
Passes
81.0%
Pass Acc
2
Shots
1
SoT
25.7
Top Speed
Argentina 3–2 Cabo Verde 3 Jul 2026 · Round of 32 · #10
W 3–2
0
Assists
1
Goals
5,900
Distance (m)
77
Played
30
Passes
83.3%
Pass Acc
6
Shots
4
SoT
27.3
Top Speed
Argentina 3–2 Egypt 7 Jul 2026 · Round of 16 · #10
W 3–2
1
Assist
1
Goals
8,275
Distance (m)
107
Played
53
Passes
79.2%
Pass Acc
5
Shots
2
SoT
30.0
Top Speed
Argentina 3–1 Switzerland 12 Jul 2026 · Quarter-final · #10
W 3–1
1
Assist
0
Goals
10,508
Distance (m)
139
Played
75
Passes
82.7%
Pass Acc
4
Shots
1
SoT
29.0
Top Speed
England 1–2 Argentina 15 Jul 2026 · Semi-final · #10
W 2–1
2
Assists
0
Goals
8,349
Distance (m)
105
Played
57
Passes
77.2%
Pass Acc
1
Shots
0
SoT
29.7
Top Speed
Spain 1–0 Argentina 19 Jul 2026 · Final · #10
L 0–1
0
Assists
0
Goals
8,450
Distance (m)
140
Played
30
Passes
83.3%
Pass Acc
1
Shots
0
SoT
30.4
Top Speed
Distribution
Passing & Creativity
Passing Volume
Total Passes346
Completed275
Completion Rate79.5%
Passes per 90"39.33
Crosses34
Crosses Completed16
Match-by-Match Passing
vs Algeria40 · 77.5%
vs Austria40 · 72.5%
vs Jordan21 · 81.0%
vs Cabo Verde30 · 83.3%
vs Egypt53 · 79.2%
vs Switzerland75 · 82.7%
vs England57 · 77.2%
vs Spain30 · 83.3%
peaked at 83.3% vs Cabo Verde.
Athletic Output
Distance, Speed & Intensity
Distance Coverage
Total Distance59,039 m
Per 90 Minutes6,712 m
Most in a Match10,508 m vs Switzerland
Least in a Match2,568 m vs Jordan
Speed & Sprint
Top Speed30.4 km/h
Second Fastest30.0 km/h
Total Sprints149
Fouls Won19
Distance Per Match
vs Switzerland10,508 m
vs Spain8,450 m
vs England8,349 m
vs Egypt8,275 m
vs Austria8,008 m
vs Algeria6,981 m
vs Cabo Verde5,900 m
vs Jordan2,568 m
Final Third
Attacking Contribution
Assists Breakdown
Total Assists4
vs Algeria0
vs Austria0
vs Jordan0
vs Cabo Verde0
vs Egypt1
vs Switzerland1
vs England2
vs Spain0
Assists per 90"0.45
Shooting
Total Shots32
Shots on Target16 (50.0%)
Shots off Target16
Most Shots7 vs Austria
Shots per 90"3.64
Goals8
Shot Map · 32 attempts
Every attempt at goal, plotted from real event coordinates (attacking right). Click a marker to open the match in the Knowledge Graph.
Algeria · W 3–0Austria · W 2–0Jordan · W 3–1Cabo Verde · W 3–2Egypt · W 3–2Switzerland · W 3–1England · W 2–1Spain · L 0–1
Squad Context
The Engine Room of Argentina
Argentina Assist Leaders
Assists across the tournament by Argentina players.
Creative Profile
Per-90 output vs the squad's other main threat, each axis scaled to the higher of the two.
Work Rate
Pressing & Ball Recovery
Defensive Actions
Forced Turnovers22
Fouls Won19
Fouls Committed4
Yellow Cards0
Fouls Won per Match
vs Austria4
vs Cabo Verde4
vs Spain4
vs Egypt2
vs England2
vs Algeria1
vs Jordan1
vs Switzerland1
Progression
Ball Progression & Threat
Ball Progression
Corners Taken32
Crosses34
Crosses Completed16
Expected Threat (xT) · final per match
vs Algeria1.17
vs Austria1.37
vs Jordan6.69
vs Cabo Verde19.32
vs Egypt1.49
vs Switzerland1.14
vs England1.02
vs Spain4.64
Knowledge Graph
SPARQL Queries
Player Profile
Lionel MESSI — full metadata from the FIFA KG
SPARQL
PREFIX fifa: <https://www.openlinksw.com/ontology/fifa#>
SELECT DISTINCT ?property ?value
FROM <urn:worldcup:kg:2026>
WHERE {
<http://demo.openlinksw.com/fifa-kg/player-229397#this> ?property ?value .
}
ORDER BY ?property ?value