Lionel Messi produced another unforgettable World Cup performance on Wednesday night but even his brilliance could not erase a long-standing football record held by Nigerian legend Jay-Jay Okocha, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 39-year-old inspired Argentina to a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal at Atlanta Stadium. His heroics helped the defending champions reach a second straight World Cup final.
England looked on course for victory after Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead in the 55th minute with a close-range finish. Thomas Tuchel's side then dropped deeper in an attempt to protect their advantage, but Messi eventually found the spaces that England had tried so hard to close.
With just five minutes remaining, the Argentine captain played a clever pass from a corner routine for Enzo Fernández, whose curling strike from outside the penalty area made it 1-1 in the 85th minute.
Deep into stoppage time, Messi once again showed his quality. After escaping pressure on the right wing, he delivered a perfectly weighted cross that floated over John Stones for Lautaro Martínez to head home the winner in the 92nd minute.
Messi finished the match with nine successful dribbles, the highest by any player at the 2026 World Cup. According to official Opta and Sofascore statistics, he also recorded 94 touches, created four clear scoring chances and had seven touches inside England's penalty area – the same total managed by the entire England team.
His nine completed dribbles were even more impressive because England as a team managed only seven successful dribbles throughout the entire match. Opta via BBC also confirmed Messi became the first player since detailed records began in 1966 to register at least nine successful dribbles and two assists in a single World Cup knockout game.
Okocha's legendary World Cup display remains unmatched
As outstanding as Messi was against England, he still remains well short of the greatest single-match dribbling display in World Cup history.
That record continues to belong to former Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha, who completed an incredible 15 successful dribbles during Nigeria's Round of 16 clash against Italy at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
Playing at Foxboro Stadium on July 5, 1994, the then 21-year-old Okocha tormented arguably the strongest defensive unit of the era, featuring Italian greats Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Demetrio Albertini.
Across 120 minutes, Okocha successfully completed 15 of his 16 dribble attempts as Nigeria pushed Italy all the way before eventually losing 2-1 after extra time. Although the Super Eagles were eliminated, Okocha's dazzling footwork and fearless attacking display became one of the tournament's defining memories.
His record has now stood for more than three decades despite generations of elite dribblers attempting to match it.
The all-time World Cup single-match dribbling rankings shows just how extraordinary Okocha's performance was. He sits first with 15 successful dribbles, ahead of Brazil's Jairzinho and England's Paul Gascoigne, who both recorded 13. Argentina legend Diego Maradona, Germany's Jamal Musiala and Dutch icon Johan Cruyff each completed 12 in their respective matches.
Messi, meanwhile, continues to dominate the competition in other ways. His performance against England extended his remarkable run of recording either a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive World Cup matches. He now leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists heading into Sunday's final against Spain, where Argentina will attempt to defend the title they won four years ago.
