Arlington, Texas — June 23, 2026. Lionel Messi has made football history. The Argentina captain jumped to 18 goals at the World Cup after registering two goals against Austria on June 22, netting more than Germany's Miroslav Klose (16) who had led the men's list since 2014. The goal also moves Messi ahead of Brazilian icon Marta's 17 goals for both play in the men's and women's World Cup. On Monday, just one day before the 39th birthday of Lionel Messi, one of the most defining stories in the World Cup is his stats, which are only getting better.
The number here is nothing new for a player who was already considered by many as the greatest of all time, and it's also the number that had eluded him for 20 years - he is the top scorer of World Cup history, period. It comes after a World Cup opening scoreline that Messi has single-handedled, scoring all Argentina's goals to date in the tournament's U.S., Mexico and Canada edition.
Until this week Miroslav Klose was the only one on top of the World Cup scoring table. The 16-goal total was spread out over four tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014), and was regarded as one of the most comfortable on- and off-home numbers in international football. Klose was the next reference point every modern striker sought to emulate, until Messi came along in his sixth (and probably final) World Cup with the form, fitness and motivation to get their hands on him.
Messi got his first taste of the record when he was 18 at a club game, replacing the injured Mendoza in a victory over Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 and becoming the youngest-ever Argentina World Cup goalscorer. The 2010 edition of the tournament was scoreless, but Messi got his goal-laying hands wet again in 2014, including four goals for Argentina to come into the final. The only other goal scored in 2018 was a late finisher in the final to finally bring home the trophy he had long been after in Qatar 2022, when he scored seven goals including two in the final.
The goal made him 13 for his World Cup career. He levelled with Klose on their first game at 16 in the opening game v Algeria. He then went scoreless against Austria but in the 38th minute, Messi curled home a left-footed effort to put them up 1-0 and had a second to put them up 2-0 in the stoppage time against Austria.
In doing so, Messi became the sixth player in the history of the FIFA World Cup to have played in six World Cups — joining longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, Messi leads the list of the number of times an individual has played in World Cups with 27 appearances over 20 years, Germany's Lothar Matthäus has 22. He also tops the all-time list for minutes played in World Cup history.
In football, you can find plenty of goalscoring records, and this isn't one of them, as it demands the standard that's required. The World Cup comes around every four years and a player must have an extended period of top-tier performance, healthy and well and have his country qualify over the past 20 years. Since the 2022 tournament, Messi has made his mark in six World Cup games and his first two since 2022 have come in the same line of duty: beating the goal.Since the 2022 edition, Messi has played six World Cups and now achieved his first two in three tournaments with four goals or more, a mark previously held only by Klose. The world cup win was now on top of his Golden Ball trophies and the record for his individual goals, and the case for Messi being the greatest player in the sport's history is even stronger.
So far Messi has been the whole attacking narrative in Argentina's defence of its title. He has scored five goals in the team's first two group stage games - all the goals Argentina has scored in the tournament.
The second game, against Algeria, saw Messi pull off his first World Cup hat trick in a 3-0 victory, despite having been in the tournament for 20 years. He also became, at the age of 38 years, 357 days, the oldest player to score a hat trick at a World Cup, beating a record set by Ronaldo.
Messi then went on to register two goals, the outright scoring record, in an 2-0 victory against Austria three days later to guarantee Argentine's place in the round of 32 as group J champions.
After two games, Messi is tied for the adidas Golden Boot with five goals, ahead of other top scorers such as Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane with two each. Of the 18 World Cup goals that Messi has scored in his career, nine have been assisted by nine different teammates, showing how much the manager, Lionel Scaloni, has built Messi's attacking role around him.
This World Cup has seen no player score more goals, nor appear to be more integral to the attacking play of his team than has he. Argentina have advanced to the knockout stage and Messi has appeared in all of the group matches, making him the front-runner for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot competition.
| Statistic | Value |
| World Cup Appearances (Tournaments) | 6 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) |
| World Cup Matches Played | 27 (all-time record) |
| World Cup Goals | 18 (all-time record) |
| World Cup Assists | 8 |
| Golden Boot Ranking (2026) | 1st |
| Goals in 2026 Tournament | 5 |
| World Cup Hat-tricks | 1 (vs. Algeria, 2026) |
| Career World Cup Wins | 1 (2022) |
| Career International Goals | 122 (Argentina's all-time leading scorer) |
Note: These figures are official as of June 22-23, 2026, after Argentina's victory in their group stage match against Austria.
| Player | Goals | World Cup Matches | Goals per Game | World Cups Played | National Team |
| Lionel Messi | 18 | 27 | 0.67 | 6 | Argentina |
| Miroslav Klose | 16 | 24 | 0.67 | 4 | Germany |
| Ronaldo Nazário | 15 | 19 | 0.79 | 4 | Brazil |
| Gerd Müller | 14 | 13 | 1.08 | 2 | West Germany |
| Just Fontaine | 13 | 6 | 2.17 | 1 | France |
The difference between Messi and those above is not only the number of goals he has scored; it's the variety of his World Cup career. Klose, Ronaldo and Müller all had a higher per-game scoring rate, and Just Fontaine's 13 goals in a single 1958 tournament are unlikely to be surpassed in a single season. No player ever scored at the World Cup level in six World Cups over 20 years, however, as Messi has. He doesn't have just one explosive campaign: He has been coming back from 18 to 38, and still finding room to score on the toughest defenses in the world.
Final score: Argentina 3, Algeria 0
Goal scorers: Lionel Messi (15', 33', 71')
Messi's first shot of the evening was saved but he was not to be denied for long, as he soon found a rebound from Algerian keeper Luca Zidane to make his mark with a first. He doubled after half-time, then made it his first hat-trick in World Cups with the third goal coming just 20 years to the minute of his World Cup debut. He had earlier missed a penalty, further adding to the achievement.
Key moments: Klose's hat-trick was the World Cup's all-time record and Messi became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup games at age 38. Messi also set a new Argentina record for the fifth consecutive match in which he scores at a World Cup.
Tactical analysis: Scaloni placed Messi in a free attacking position and instead of a full anchor, he had Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul pushing through the wings, driving the ball to Messi, while Algeria's back line was extended by Julián Álvarez. Argentina had the ball in their hands and never had to worry about defenders.
Final score: Argentina 2, Austria 0
Goal scorers: Lionel Messi (38', 90+3')
Messi was denied an early opportunity to score from a video review, but he made up for it in the 38th minute when he curled a left-footed shot from a pass from Facundo Medina to make him the outright record holder. He finished off with an unflattering near post-time shot in the dying moments.
Key highlights: Austria went forward for extended periods of time and challenged goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez but failed to make it 1-1. The result clinched Argentina's place in the round of 32 and put them in control of Group J ahead of their final group match against Jordan.
Turning points: The record was almost put in jeopardy by a penalty that was missed, but Messi's efforts just minutes later left no doubt — and it was a pattern he has had in his past at big games.
Down the field, Argentina's captain is a leader not just in the scoring, but in the team, too, and his teammates have been pointing to his presence as a key factor in the team's title defense, time and again.
Argentina's midfield has been defined by Mac Allister and De Paul, who are the ones who have dictated the pace and provided the service that has allowed Messi to operate freely. Mac Allister has been especially vocal in the praise of Messi's ongoing impact on the team.
Álvarez has released the Argentinean genius of Messi in the middle and has also had a hand in several of Messi's chances to create space for Argentina.
Argentina's defenders had their part in the forward movement, with Medina featuring at center-back and picking up his first international assist on Messi's record-breaking goal against Austria.
Martínez kept two clean sheets in the group stage, including a crucial save to thwart Austria's best chance of the game in Arlington.
The Argentina team led by Lionel Scaloni has developed a flexible approach for their 2026 World Cup campaign that allows Messi to shift from one side to another in search of pockets of space to operate. The midfield trio of Mac Allister, De Paul and Enzo Fernández have to find a way to keep possession and move it around into the final third while the constant movement of Álvarez draws the opposition's defenders out of their zone to leave space for Messi to play.
On the defensive side, Argentina has built its team around a disciplined back line with Martínez providing a good cover, giving few high-quality chances in two games. So it's a strategy that's similar to the one that helped Argentina take gold in 2022: get the midfield to control the game, let Messi have his say and build a solid defence to preserve possession. Two wins in two games and Messi on the scoreboard twice would indicate that the formula is as strong as ever.
Lionel Messi, 39, arrives just in the middle of the record World Cup campaign. It's rare for any athlete to be in prime form at his 39th birthday, let alone compile a hat trick and an overall scoring record in the same week.
This will be Messi's sixth World Cup appearance, the same as Cristiano Ronaldo's. Some of the records already set or matched in 2026: World Cup scoring record, Oldest world cup hat trick scorer, Oldest player to score two goals in a world cup game, Oldest player to play in most world cups matches.
What can fans look forward to here? Argentina have made it to the knockout rounds and Scaloni will have to choose how many minutes to let Messi play in the early rounds of the tournament, which are much less physically demanding. Judging from his recent form, though, nothing has slowed him down in the decision-making, finishing or big moment department – all of which have been hallmarks of his career.
Messi's record is another nail in the longest-running debate in football. He has won a World Cup, two Golden Balls, and the international goalscoring record for Argentina, and now the all-time World Cup scoring record.
Messi has already brought Argentina's third World Cup and its first in 36 years back in 2022. A successful follow-up campaign in 2026, possibly helping Argentina become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962, would help in adding another wonderfully rare chapter.
Argentina are defending champions with arguably the form man of the tournament in the lead. It's a much longer journey than ever before with an 8 team format and expanded 48-nation field, but Argentina's game is a deadlocker.
Apart from the Golden Boot conversation, another campaign could see Messi return to the Golden Ball race, having won the award twice already – more than any other player in World Cup history.
| Player | Country | Goals | Matches Played |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 5 | 2 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 4 | 2 |
| Kylian Mbappé | France | 4 | 2 |
| Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 |
| Jonathan David | Canada | 3 | 2 |
Standings are based on up to June 23, 2026 and are subject to change throughout the tournament.
France still have a tournament pedigree and Kylian Mbappé is their most likely challenger in the long-term. Erling Haaland is another to watch as the group stage ends and the knockout stage begins for Norway, as is Harry Kane's efficiency in front of goal for the English team. Early on, scoring in a super-sub role, Germany's Deniz Undav has also turned out to be a surprise contender.
After Messi's record-breaking week, two of the most popular markets on the Golden Boot race and Argentina's title odds have become one of the tournament's most popular ones. It isn't long after Messi's five-goal opening week that the Golden Boot odds have been shortened in favour of the Sportsbooks, nor even after Argentina's unbeaten campaign and knockout stage qualification that the odds for the whole tournament have tightened.
The current scoring run by Messi has led to a surge in anytime goalscorer betting, and player prop betting tracking his form, as in shots on target, assists, minutes played, etc. are still in vogue. With group stage results, tournament futures markets, such as outright winner and top scorer wagers, remain on the move.
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Lionel Messi's 18th World Cup goal wasn't only a record-breaking effort, it was a completion of one of the longest streaks in football history. An 18-year-old substitute against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, to a 38-year-old captain who curled the record breaking goal against Austria two decades later, Messi's World Cup tale has delivered the most coveted goal the tournament has ever seen.
With five goals in 2026, a huge advantage in the Golden Boot race and Argentina safely in the knockout stage, it looks as though Messi's sixth World Cup is going to be one of his most statistically significant. In whichever round he goes, his status as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport is even more solid.
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