Lionel Messi is set to kick off the 2025 Club World Cup when Inter Miami take on Al Ahly and he could break several records in the process.

The Argentine magician has already won the Club World Cup on three occasions with Barcelona, but given the tournament expansion this year, he’ll have his work cut out, given the level of competition.

We’ve looked at the record books for the competition and have found five records that Messi could realistically break at the tournament this summer.

All-time top scorer

As things stand, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals in Club World Cup history with seven. However, he won’t be at the tournament this summer and therefore won’t be able to pull further ahead.

Messi, on the other hand, has scored five goals in five Club World Cup appearances, meaning that he’s just two goals off Ronaldo’s record.

Given that he’s guaranteed to play at least three group stage matches, we’d say that Messi has a pretty good chance of surpassing CR7’s current record.

In Group A, Inter Miami will face Al Ahly, Porto and Palmeiras, with the top two sides progressing to the knockout stages.

All-time top assister

Messi will have his work cut out if he wants to break this record, but anything is possible with the Argentine playmaker in town.

As things stand, Messi has one Club World Cup assist to his name and he’ll need to register at least four more in the tournament this summer to tie level with top spot.

As of writing, former Boca Juniors star Neri Cardozo and former Kashima Antlers playmaker Shoma Doi hold the record for the most assists in the tournament with five.

While playing for Inter Miami, Messi has averaged an assist every 204.9 minutes, but he’ll likely need to up those numbers if he wants to break this record.

Needing four assists to tie level with the record and five to break it, Messi will need to be at the top of his game.

Most combined goals and assists

Once again, this is a record which is currently held by Ronaldo.

In total, CR7 has 10 goal contributions in the Club World Cup, which makes him the most productive player in the competition’s history.

Messi currently has six goal contributions in the competition and needs four more this summer to tie with Ronaldo’s record of 10.

It’s also worth pointing out that Al-Hilal’s Salem Al-Dawsari also has six goal contributions in the competition and could also add to his tally this summer.

The oldest player to ever score at the Club World Cup

As things stand, Javier Zanetti holds this record, but Messi has the chance to break it.

The legendary full-back scored in the 2010 Club World Cup at the ripe old age of 37 years, 4 months and 5 days.

Given that Messi is about to celebrate his 38th birthday, he’ll become the oldest player to ever score in the competition if he manages to find the back of the net.

Of course, someone else older than Messi could also break this record in 2025, like Luka Modric, but Messi stands a decent chance of doing it nevertheless.

Most Golden Ball podium finishes

The Golden Ball is the award handed out at the end of the tournament for the best player.

Messi already holds the record for the most Golden Balls in Club World Cup history with two, but he could pull further ahead if he wins it again this year.

Interestingly, Ronaldo holds the record for the most podium finishes, as he’s placed in the top three on four separate occasions.

Messi, who’s had three podium finishes, could tie level with Ronaldo if he finishes in the top three players of the tournament this summer.