Lionel Messi goals since turning 30: How soccer legend compares to Pele, Maradona and more at age 39

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Lionel Messi has cemented his place as the best player in the world over the last two World Cups.

Messi led Argentina to the title in 2022, and this year has La Albiceleste two more wins away from back-to-back successes. While Messi previously underwhelmed at times in the World Cup, he found another level in his mid-to-late 30s.

Messi's dominance at his current age is rare, as soccer players don't usually dominate after turning 30. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is part of a generation that has been able to extend their careers and continue playing in their primes for longer.

Messi's success late in his career has only enhanced his legendary status in the game. Here's a breakdown of how he has done it.

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How old is Lionel Messi?

Messi turned 39 years old on June 24 during his sixth World Cup appearance with Argentina. As a result, he made history as just one of two players to appear in six World Cups in their career, joining rival Cristiano Ronaldo with that record.

Lionel Messi goals since turning 30

Since he turned 30 years old on June 24, 2017, Messi has continued to produce at the all-time-best level. Messi has essentially had two separate great careers, one before turning 30 and one after, combining to become the consensus best player of all time.

Here's how many goals Messi scored since turning 30, as of June 14, 2026:

Club goals: 209
National team goals: 71
Total goals: 280

Additionally, 16 of Messi's 21 World Cup goals all came after his 30th birthday.

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Lionel Messi World Cup stats

Messi has put together the best World Cup performance of his career in the 2026 event, showing how he can still play at the highest level despite being in the twilight of his playing days. Here's his stats in the 2026 World Cup leading into the semifinals:

Matches: 6
Minutes: 608
Goals: 8
Assists: 2

Messi's eight goals surpasses his seven from 2022 for his most in a single World Cup, and his 15 in the last two tournaments is an all-time great career in of itself.

How Lionel Messi compares to Pele, Maradona and more

Pele

Pele is still the most prolific goal-scorer ever, producing a Guinness World Record of 1,279 goals in his career (although this number is often disputed as it includes friendly and exhibition games). He turned 30 on October 23, 1970, and from 1971 on, he produced just 127 goals in club competition for Brazilian team Santos and the America-based team the New York Cosmos. Internationally, Pele had just one goal in 1971 and he didn't appear in a World Cup after the age of 30.

Diego Maradona

Messi's fellow Argentinian, Diego Maradona, slowed down in his 30s similarly to Pele. Maradona turned 30 on October 30, 1990 and scored just two international goals after that age, one in a friendly and one in the 1994 World Cup. At the club level, Maradona played for Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors in his 30s, but only scored 26 goals overall between those three teams in that span.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is similar to Messi in that he has found a second gear after he turned 30 on February 5, 2015. Ronaldo has scored 313 club goals since his 30th birthday to go along with 99 international goals while playing for Portugal. Ronaldo and Messi are the only two players to play in six different World Cups, which shows their longevity.

Ronaldo

Brazil's Ronaldo received much success in his career, winning two World Cups and playing in three World Cup finals before he even turned 26. After Ronaldo's 30th birthday on September 18, 2006, Ronaldo produced 48 club goals but none at the international level as injuries began to take their toll.

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