Argentina 2-0 Angola: Messi scores and assists, just 5 goals away from 900; 196 matches, 115 goals, and 64 assists for the national team.

In the early morning of November 15th Beijing time, Argentina faced Angola in a friendly match. Messi was in the starting lineup and played for 86 minutes before being subbed off to rest. Both Messi and Lautaro contributed goals through mutual assists, leading Argentina to a 2-0 win and their third straight victory. Messi received the top rating of 8.1 after the game.

According to statistics, this goal marked Messi’s 895th career goal, leaving him just 5 goals short of the 900 milestone; he also recorded his 401st assist, a figure that is astronomical in football history, unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.

Messi’s stats for the Argentina national team now stand at 196 appearances with 115 goals and 64 assists, averaging 0.58 goals per game, including 101 goals scored with his left foot, 12 with his right, and 2 headers.

Many fans admire Messi for simple reasons: his humility and his beautiful style of play. Personally, I believe that between Messi and Ronaldo, Ronaldo will likely have a longer career because of his strong competitive nature. As long as Messi hasn’t retired, Ronaldo won’t either, fearing that Messi might surpass his goal records. Ronaldo will keep playing until Messi retires to feel comfortable retiring himself. Messi’s values differ; he will retire once he feels he can no longer contribute to the team. Another key difference lies in their views on the World Cup: for Messi, like most professional players, the World Cup is the ultimate dream, whereas Ronaldo recently stated that the World Cup is not his dream.