This Friday, Argentina beat Angola 2–0 at the 11 de Novembro Stadium in a friendly match during the November FIFA international break. There, Lionel Messi stood out with an assist to Lautaro Martinez and a goal, once again proving decisive for his national team.
The goal — a precise left-footed strike — was the first Messi has ever scored in Africa with Argentina. He had previously played there during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where his national team reached the quarterfinals before falling 4–0 to Germany. That tournament remains the only one of the five World Cups Leo has played in where he did not score, despite appearing in five matches.
At the club level, Messi had a positive precedent in Africa. In the summer of 2012, Barcelona made a short trip to the continent to face Raja Casablanca in Morocco. That day, Los Blaugranas cruised to an 8–0 win, and the Argentine star scored three goals, though they are not counted officially since it was a club friendly.
Friday’s goal for Argentina in Angola is therefore the only goal Messi has scored in his career on the African continent. Only in Oceania does Leo have worse numbers: he played two matches in Australia and never scored.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal for Argentina.
Which continent has Messi scored the most goals in?
Having spent 17 years at Barcelona and two at Paris Saint-Germain, it’s logical that Europe is the continent where Lionel Messi has scored the most. In addition, he has played there countless times with Argentina, in both friendlies and official competitions — including the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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In total, Messi has scored 714 goals in Europe at both club and international level. His favorite country is clearly Spain, where he scored 624 times, followed by France (34), England (9), and Germany and Switzerland (6).
Messi’s goals in the Americas
Competing in World Cup qualifiers and friendlies with Argentina, Messi has scored many goals in the Americas. Those numbers increased further since his arrival at Inter Miami, placing the region comfortably in second place.
Leo has scored 156 goals across the Americas during his career. The country where he has scored the most is the United States, with 92 goals. Next is Argentina, with 37 — all with his national team, as he has never played professionally at club level in his home country.
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How many goals has Messi scored in Asia?
Finally, there is a continent that holds a special place in Lionel Messi’s career: Asia. There, he fulfilled his dream of winning the World Cup at Qatar 2022, delivering an outstanding performance and being named the tournament’s best player.
In Asia, Messi has scored 22 goals. Qatar is clearly the Asian country where he has scored the most in his professional career, with a total of 8 goals — 7 of which came during the most recent World Cup. Behind it are the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Japan, each with 3 goals.
