On December 18, 2022, Lionel Andrés Messi firmly established himself as the most decorated footballer since Pelé and the greatest player this century. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the 5’ 7” left-footed wizard guided his native Argentina all the way through the group stage and knockout rounds with the youthful exuberance unbefitting of an aging 35-year-old verteran supposedly past his prime. Standing in the way from sport’s ultimate prize was Leo’s former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Kylian Mbappé, and a loaded France squad looking to repeat as World Cup champions.

With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, Messi delivered a clutch performance for the ages in the Final, scoring twice in a thrilling Argentina victory secured on penalties after two wild extra-time periods. Messi calmly converted his PK for La Albiceleste to add to his brace and cap a storybook ending to his National Team career. He tallied seven goals in the tournament (second only to Mbappe’s eight) and became the first to score in every World Cup round since the Round of 16 format was introduced in 1986.

Featured here is an official Lionel Messi Argentina jersey issued by the National Team for him to wear in the third group stage match against Poland. Argentina shut out Robert Lewandowski's squad by the score of 2-0 to clinch the top seed in Group C and advance to the knockout rounds. Ironically, it was the only match of the entire tournament that Messi did not score. According to a trusted source, the Argentine Football Association [AFA] issued 3-5 shirts to Messi for each match; he would wear one each half and reportedly gifted the remaining unworn shirts to staff, teammates, friends or family.

The royal blue jersey has a silver AFA crest and two gold stars (representing the nation’s two previous World Cup titles) embossed on the left chest. The match details – “Poland, 30 November 2022, Stadium 974” – appear on the center of the chest in small silver font, with the Adidas logo on the right chest. Messi’s iconic No. “10” appears on the front and larger on the reverse, with “MESSI” straight across the upper back all in silver in the team’s custom font. On the right sleeve is the official “FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022” patch and on the left sleeve is FIFA’s “Football Unites the World” patch. A silver patch of the Sol de Mayo [Sun of May] – Argentina’s national emblem that appears on its country flag – is embossed on the upper back. The shoulders, sleeve ends and sides are all trimmed/accented in purple. A triangular “Adidas Authentic 2022” label appears on the front right tail, with a globe symbol and “HEAT. RDY” on the front left tail. All letters, numbers and patches are properly pressed onto the breathable fabric of the light-weight pullover shirt. Accurate wash instructions tags indicating 100% polyester and “Made in Argentina” in English, Spanish and Portuguese are found inside the front left tail.

The Adidas manufacturer’s label inside the collar is very important to distinguish this shirt from a retail store model or replica. The medium size (“M”) matches the documented size worn by Messi during the 2022 World Cup. “Hecho en Argentina [Made in Argentina]” is a critical identifier along with, more specifically, the order in which each country’s size is listed – “ARG M” must be mentioned first followed by the others in the second row. In summary, the overall style, cut, colors, font, and tagging match the specifications of Argentina's blue 2022 World Cup kits and that of Lionel Messi himself.

After leading La Albiceleste to the 2021 Copa América and 2022 World Cup titles, Leo's resumé is complete from both an individual and team standpoint. He enters a new chapter with Inter Miami in the MLS with nothing left to prove having won every award under the sun including a record 7 Ballon d'Or (FIFA World Player of the Year) trophies. To many, Messi is now the G.O.A.T. and this jersey is a wonderful representation of his last crusade. It was sourced by our consignor from a member of the Argentina National Team who has requested anonymity. Comes with a full letter from Sports Investors Authentication.