Messi Falls Short of Jay-Jay Okocha’s Enduring World Cup Dribbling Record

Argentina captain Lionel Messi produced another outstanding performance to inspire his country’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, but his display was still not enough to surpass a long-standing record held by former Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha.

Messi played a decisive role as Argentina overturned England’s lead in Atlanta, creating both goals after Anthony Gordon had put the Three Lions ahead early in the second half.

The 39-year-old provided assists for Enzo Fernández’s equaliser and Lautaro Martínez’s stoppage-time winner, sending the defending champions into a second consecutive World Cup final.

According to Opta and Sofascore statistics, Messi completed nine successful dribbles against England, the highest by any player at the 2026 tournament. He also recorded 94 touches, created four clear scoring chances and registered seven touches inside England’s penalty area, a figure equal to the combined total of the entire England team.

Opta also noted that Messi became the first player since detailed World Cup records began in 1966 to record at least nine successful dribbles and two assists in a single knockout-stage match.

Despite the achievement, Messi remains well behind Okocha’s remarkable World Cup record of 15 successful dribbles in a single match.

The Nigerian football icon set the record during the Super Eagles’ round of 16 clash against Italy at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Then 21 years old, Okocha successfully completed 15 of his 16 dribble attempts over 120 minutes against an Italian defence featuring Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini. Although Nigeria eventually lost 2-1 after extra time, Okocha’s individual display has remained unmatched in World Cup history.

The record still stands ahead of Brazil’s Jairzinho and England’s Paul Gascoigne, who each completed 13 successful dribbles in a World Cup match, while Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Germany’s Jamal Musiala each recorded 12.

Earlier in the tournament, Spain winger Lamine Yamal also matched another World Cup statistic previously held by Okocha by averaging 12 successful dribbles per 90 minutes over matches exceeding 200 minutes of playing time, a feat the Nigerian achieved during the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Messi enters Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists as Argentina seek to retain the title they won in Qatar four years ago.