The 2018 FIFA World Cup marked Lionel Messi’s fourth World Cup appearance. He had previously represented Argentina at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 tournaments, making Russia 2018 his fourth appearance on football’s biggest international stage.
Messi made his World Cup debut as a teenager in Germany in 2006. Argentina reached the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010, then advanced to the final in 2014, where Germany won 1–0 after extra time. By 2018, Messi was Argentina’s captain and central attacking figure.
The wording refers to tournament appearances, not the number of individual matches he had played. It also does not mean Argentina’s fourth World Cup overall; Argentina had entered many more tournaments. Messi later appeared at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which became his fifth World Cup tournament and ended with Argentina winning the title.