TThe Argentina national team, as usual, had Lionel Messi in the lead role, and ended their soccer year with an easy victory over Angola.
This friendly not only signified another victory on the road to the 2026 World Cup, but also a historic event as the Argentine star scored for the first time on African soil and added several more goal contributions (goals and assists) to his long list. Another day at Leo’s office.
Messi’s emotional video breaks Barcelona’s hearts
Angola vs Argentina goals and highlights ahead of 2026 World Cup
Argentina traveled to Africa to face Angola in their final friendly of 2025, a modest opponent but a crowd of thousands for an obvious reason: Lionel Messi.
The Angolan federation spent around $12 million to secure Albiceleste’s presence, a figure that reflects the world champion’s global influence.
Sportingly speaking, it was Argentina who controlled the match, they controlled their efforts well and still managed to come away with a convincing victory. The final score was 2-0, but Albiceleste dominated throughout the 90 minutes.
The first goal was scored by Lautaro Martínez, who took advantage of Messi’s through ball from the right side and found himself one-on-one with the home defense. The Inter Milan striker beat the Angolan goalkeeper with his power and cross-shots to make it 1-0 in the first half, and Argentina had no trouble responding.
This was Messi’s first goal in Africa.
The second half brought Lionel Messi’s goal, the most awaited moment. In the 81st minute, Lautaro’s feint caused the opponent’s defense to lose their balance, and the Argentine received the ball inside the area and scored with his left foot to seal a 2-0 victory. This was the first time Messi had scored on the African continent.
Messi reaches 1,296 goal contributions
With this goal, Lionel Messi ended 2025 having contributed to 1,296 goals throughout his club and country career. These numbers combine for 895 goals and 401 assists in 1,134 games, a record never achieved by any other player in soccer history.
The Argentina captain also reached 115 goals with the Argentina national team, maintaining his position as the country’s all-time top scorer and approaching a record that will be difficult to surpass in the future. Every game of Messi not only breaks previous statistics, but also expands the dimensions of his legacy in world football.
How many goals has Messi scored in official matches?
If that wasn’t enough, the goal took the Argentine star to 895 goals in 1134 games, suggesting Messi could comfortably reach 900 in all competitions, and while 1000 goals seems difficult to think about, it doesn’t seem impossible for Leo.
