Lionel Messi has surpassed Dani Alves to set a record for the person with the most collective titles in football history, after El Pulga and Argentina won the Copa America 2024.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi led his team to victory in the 2024 Copa America final by defeating Colombia 1-0 in the final at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, USA) on the morning of July 15.
The 37-year-old striker won the 45th collective title of his playing career, surpassing the previous record of 44 titles held by former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves.
Messi’s achievements include 6 titles with the Argentine national team, 35 championships with Barca, three titles with Paris Saint Germain and the Leagues Cup championship with Inter Miami.
The 2024 Copa America is Argentina’s 16th title in South America’s premier tournament, making the team the country with the most continental championships in history. This is also the fourth international title for captain Lionel Messi and the Argentina team in the past three years.
Messi’s first title with Argentina was the 2005 U20 World Cup in the Netherlands, where he scored from the group stage to the final, winning the Golden Boot and Best Player of the tournament. Three years later, he and Argentina won the men’s football gold medal at the Beijing Olympics (China).
Copa America 2021 is the first national team title that Messi has won at the age of 34. After that, he and Argentina won a World Cup 2022, a Finalissima (European – South American Super Cup) in 2022 and another Copa America 2024.
With 45 collective titles for both club and national team, Messi leads the list of most decorated players in top-flight football.
Dani Alves is second with 44 titles, but the Brazilian is missing a World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo also has 35 titles, but CR7 has yet to win a World Cup either.
Messi still has a lot of hope to participate in the 2026 World Cup at the age of 39 (Photo: Getty)
In the top 10 players with the most collective titles in football history, along with Messi, there are only 3 more names who have won the World Cup, namely Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, all of whom are former teammates of Messi at Barcelona.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or and six-time European Golden Shoe winner will have the chance to add another international trophy to his impressive collection next year, when Argentina take on Spain in the Finalissima in June 2025.
After the Finalissima next year, Messi will likely aim for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In addition, Messi still has many opportunities to win titles with Inter Miami, as this team is competing for the championship of the US Major League Soccer (MLS).
Statistics of the number of collective and individual titles and goals that Messi has achieved in his career (Photo: Mundo Deportivo).