Messi Breaks World Cup Scoring Record as Postmatch Exchange in Dallas Draws Attention

Lionel Messi scored his 17th career World Cup goal in the first half at the Dallas stadium, breaking Miroslav Klose’s all-time record. The left-footed first-time finish from inside the box went into the bottom corner of Austria’s net, and Messi celebrated in the same corner where Argentina fans were seated.

The historic goal came in the 38th minute. He then sealed the win with Argentina’s second goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, giving the match an emphatic finish. It was another milestone in a tournament already marked by his form, as he has scored five goals in Argentina’s first two World Cup matches this summer.

That tally includes a hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria, leaving Messi so far as Argentina’s only scorer in the competition. The article says the game in Dallas will go down in his history.

After the final whistle, many Austria players approached Messi to congratulate him, but one interaction stood out. As Christoph Zawier approached, Messi appeared to gesture at him with his hands, Zawier smiled, then responded with a similar motion. Zawier nodded after Messi repeated the gesture, and the two then went their separate ways.

BBC host Gabby Logan speculated that Zawier may have been asking for Messi’s shirt. Messi did not seem eager to hand it over, since he was still wearing the shirt when he walked back to the dressing room. The moment inevitably drew comparisons with Messi’s viral 2022 exchange with Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst after the World Cup quarterfinal.