Lionel Messi made history at the 2026 World Cup on June 23, scoring twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria and becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The article says he arrived needing one goal to break the record, and that the achievement came in a match that helped Argentina secure qualification for the next round.
Messi had a mixed start, missing a penalty and losing possession several times before breaking through in the 37th minute. A strong team move left him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and he finished from the center of the box to equal the record. He added a second goal later after a scramble in the area, taking his total to 18.
After the match, Messi said he was focused on the win rather than the milestone. “I’m tired of all these record breaks,” he joked. “I’m more happy about the victory than anything else. It was critical and very important for us, it gives us calm and a lot of confidence for what’s ahead. We knew it wouldn’t be easy but we wanted to secure qualification for the next stage. All the World Cup games are very tight, the intensity is very high, it’s not easy. I mainly enjoy the moment, it’s fun for me to celebrate with the rest of the national team players.”
The previous record-holder, Miroslav Klose, reacted with humor after being overtaken, saying, “I always said Lionel Messi was not bad.” He added that he had expected the record to fall and felt honored that Messi was the one to do it. The report also notes that Kylian Mbappé scored twice against Iraq to reach 16 World Cup goals, two behind Messi, while Erling Haaland scored a brace to move to four goals in two matches.
Argentina, France, and Norway have all secured progression to the next stage, giving Messi, Mbappé, and Haaland at least two more matches in the current tournament. The article adds that if this is Messi’s final World Cup, future editions will likely see his mark broken again, especially since Mbappé and Haaland still have more tournaments ahead.
