How Messi’s first World Cup goal had an Israeli connection

Lionel Messi is set to begin his sixth World Cup on Tuesday night, making him the first player in history to appear in six editions. Cristiano Ronaldo is due to join that club the following day. Argentina, the reigning world champion, opens against Algeria, while Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is also at a sixth World Cup, though not as a starter in all of them.

The article revisits Germany 2006, when Argentina met Serbia and Montenegro in the tournament’s second round and won 6-0. Messi came off the bench in the 74th minute for Maxi Rodriguez and scored his first World Cup goal in the 88th minute. That strike began the long run that made him one of the competition’s most prolific scorers.

There was also an Israeli angle to that match. Serbia and Montenegro’s goalkeeper was Dragoslav Jevric, who later spent two years at Maccabi Tel Aviv. The left back chasing Messi on the goal was Mladen Krstajic, who later became coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. On the Serbian bench was Vladimir Stojkovic, who later played for Maccabi Haifa and went on to become Serbia’s first-choice goalkeeper after the breakup of Serbia and Montenegro, including at the 2018 World Cup.

Messi has since scored 13 World Cup goals, including in two finals and with one title. He is tied for fourth place on the all-time scoring list with French forward Just Fontaine, and in this tournament he will try to close in on record holder Miroslav Klose, who leads with 16.