German legend Lothar Matthaus previously held the record for playing 25 times in semi-finals in FIFA organized world cup however, one of the football legends Lionel Messi has broken the jinx and leveled up with the German great after appearing in the matches between Argentina and Croatia.

The Argentina captain lined up in attack with Alvarez against the Croatians as the South American side aims to go through the final stages of the world's largest football stage.

And starting that match has tied the 35-year-old PSG star with the German legend in terms of appearances at the prestigious global tournament with a total of 25 each.

If Argentina moves to the next stage of the competition, and Lionel Messi plays in the final, he will make history with 26 appearances and overtake Matthaus.

Mother Matthaus made a name for himself in the footballing world between 1982 to 1998 and played in 4 world cup tournaments.

The 61 years made 150 appearances for the German national team scoring 23 goals and netting 204 times in 782 matches in all competitions across his beautiful career.

He played for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Borrusia Monchengladbach and won the Ballon d'Or in 1990.

Lionel Messi has 170 international appearances to his credit and playing in his fourth world cup but has never won the most coveted trophy unlike Lothar Matthaus

Author: Eric Murphy Asare