At 39 and very much in the twilight of his career, Lionel Messi started his sixth World Cup in scintillating form scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match versus Algeria.He seems not to have lost any of his magic touch with the noise surrounding the iconic Argentina captain seemingly louder than ever, and rightly so.Having completed the fairytale of leading his nation to glory in Qatar 2022, Messi now has the opportunity to achieve something that hasn’t been done since 1962 by helping Argentina retain the trophy.Given he’s still the most talked about footballer on the planet, expect to see an abundance of bookmaker offers involving the Argentine throughout the tournament. Those will range from a first-ever Golden Boot to a third Golden Ball and everything in between.Here, we’ll look at the most popular betting markets involving Messi, assess his chances of landing more individual honours and highlight some of the best ways punters can get involved.Lionel Messi Argentina vs Austria Bet BoostsLionel Messi Betting OddsMessi to take home the Golden Boot at 3/1 with BetfredMessi to win the Golden Ball at 6/1 with BOYLEsportsBest Lionel Messi World Cup bet boostsLionel Messi is still the biggest attraction at the World Cup. That alone makes him box office for bookmakers and their boosted markets.To score anytime: Price boosts and enhanced odds are guaranteed when Messi’s in town. This summer will be no different with the Inter Miami forward still firing on all cylinders in the MLS. While his advancing years mean he’ll be shorter on minutes than some rivals, bookmakers know punters love backing him to score.First goalscorer: A riskier proposition than anytime scorer, but one that could still appeal with Messi on penalties and more likely to start matches than finish them.Shots on target: Not quite as appealing as it would be for someone like Kylian Mbappé, who shoots whenever possible, but definitely worth keeping an eye on if bookmakers are generous with their boosts. After all, when Messi shoots, it’s usually on target.Assists: Having produced 390 assists in his club career and a further 64 for Argentina, there’s every chance bookmakers will tempt punters with enhanced prices in this market. Messi has registered eight assists across his five previous World Cups and needs just one more to equal Fritz Walter’s all-time tournament record.Player specials: I sound like a broken record, but it wouldn’t be a World Cup without a million specials on Lionel Messi’s performances. Expect Golden Ball, Golden Boot, Argentina’s top goalscorer and tournament milestone markets.Matchday Bet Builders: Messi remains one of the few players capable of scoring, assisting and winning player of the match in the same fixture. That’s exactly the sort of profile bookmakers love when putting together Bet Builders. Throw in a Super Sub offer and they suddenly become a lot more tempting.Lionel Messi top goalscorer oddsCan Lionel Messi finally win the Golden Boot at the age of 39? It would certainly be one of the stories of the tournament, and it seems to be writing itself, with three goals in his very first game.Remarkably, despite winning virtually every major honour available to him, the World Cup Golden Boot remains absent from Messi’s trophy cabinet.The closest he came was in 2022, when his seven goals were only bettered by Kylian Mbappé’s eight. In fact it took the Frenchman scoring a hat-trick in the final to deny him.There are reasons to believe he can challenge again. Messi finished as the top scorer in South American qualification despite missing six matches and continues to produce outstanding numbers for Inter Miami. He also knows the stadiums, conditions and climate better than most players heading into the tournament.Then there is the small matter of another record. Messi – with that hat trick – has now equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time mark.The concern, however, is obvious. At 39, Messi is unlikely to play every minute and Argentina will almost certainly manage his workload with the knockout stages in mind. Unlike some of his younger rivals, he may simply have fewer opportunities to rack up goals. Bet on Messi to take home the Golden Boot at 3/1 with Betfred Lionel Messi Golden Ball oddsNow we’re talking. I must admit, this is a bet that I’ve already placed and feel quietly confident about getting over the line.Unlike the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball isn’t awarded to the tournament’s leading goalscorer. Instead, it goes to the player judged to have made the biggest overall impact on the World Cup.That’s important because Messi has already won it twice, in 2014 and 2022. In fact, no player in history has collected the award more often.This really does feel like the perfect storm. Messi is widely expected to be playing in his final World Cup, Argentina remain among the favourites to go deep into the tournament and the award itself is ultimately decided by a media vote.Given the emotional attachment to Messi across world football, I don’t think it would take his best-ever World Cup performance to put him firmly in the conversation. Lionel Messi to win the Golden Ball at 6/1 with BOYLEsports Argentina to win the World Cup oddsThis is a question I’ve found myself wrestling with over the last few weeks. Can Argentina really defend their World Cup crown?History certainly isn’t on their side. Only two nations have successfully retained the trophy and nobody has managed it since Brazil back in 1962. That’s a daunting statistic, no matter how talented your squad may be.As mentioned however, the core of Argentina’s World Cup-winning side is still there. Under Lionel Scaloni, the Albiceleste have followed their triumph in Qatar with another Copa America title and continue to look like one of the most battle-hardened tournament teams on the planet.The bottom line is that Messi and Argentina’s fortunes remain inextricably linked.If the reigning champions make another deep run, his chances of winning a first Golden Boot, a third Golden Ball and landing plenty of bookmaker specials all improve dramatically.The good news for Messi backers is that the core of Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad remains intact and few nations arrive with a better recent tournament pedigree.Best ways to back Lionel Messi during the World CupHere are the markets that appeal most to me heading into what is expected to be Messi’s final World Cup.Golden Ball: This is my favourite Messi bet. He’s won the award twice already and the combination of Argentina’s chances, the subjective voting process and the emotional pull of a final World Cup makes a third Golden Ball very appealing.Argentina to win the World Cup: If you believe Messi has one last fairytale left in him, backing Argentina outright probably makes more sense than many of his individual matchday markets.Specials and boosts: Messi will be the poster boy for bookmaker promotions throughout the tournament. Any enhanced prices involving goals, assists or Argentina victories are always worth a second look.Golden Boot: I’m less convinced here, despite an incredible matchday 1. Messi came agonisingly close in 2022, but age and managed minutes make this a tougher proposition than it would have been four years ago.Lionel Messi previous World Cup recordMessi’s World Cup record is an interesting one, and actually quite tricky to unpack in terms of raw goal contributions.Despite making five appearances at the tournament and lifting the trophy in 2022, he has only really had one truly prolific World Cup campaign.The Argentina captain scored one goal in 2006, failed to find the net in 2010, managed four in 2014 and one in 2018 before exploding into life in Qatar with seven goals and three assists as Argentina were crowned world champions.That said, his overall numbers still stack up well. Messi has now scored 16 World Cup goals, provided eight assists and played more matches at the tournament than anyone else in history. He has also won the Golden Ball award twice, in 2014 and 2022.Perhaps the most encouraging sign for punters is that Messi tends to save his best football for the biggest occasions. His performance in Qatar was arguably the defining achievement of his career and he now arrives in North America needing just four more goals to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.Another assist would also see him equal Fritz Walter’s all-time World Cup record of nine.Final verdictI don’t think it’s too difficult to see where I’ve landed in the Lionel Messi betting markets at this World Cup. For me, he’s the standout Golden Ball candidate for all the reasons outlined above.I’m far less interested in the Golden Boot. Not because Messi isn’t capable of challenging, but because someone like Kylian Mbappé looks a stronger contender, while Argentina are likely to manage their captain’s minutes throughout the tournament.As for matchday betting, I’d be more inclined to look at first goalscorer and assist specials. Messi is more likely to start matches than finish them these days, which makes those markets a little more appealing from a value perspective. If you’re backing him to score, a Super Sub-style promotion is almost a must.Stay up to date with all the latest World Cup tips & predictions, World Cup Top Goalscorer Odds, World Cup Group Winner Odds, World Cup Match Previews and all the best World Cup Betting Offers and Free Bets in our dedicated betting hubWorld Cup 2026: More from talkSPORTWorld Cup 2026 Betting offersWorld Cup 2026 Betting tips and predictionsWorld Cup 2026 AI predictionsWorld Cup 2026 Betting guideWorld Cup 2026 Top goalscorer oddsEngland to win World Cup 2026 oddsWorld Cup 2026: Best young player oddsAbout the authorGreg LeaGreg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootballCommercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. 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