Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history on Monday, netting his 17th tournament goal during Argentina’s match against Austria to surpass Germany striker Miroslav Klose.
The Argentina captain moved level with Brazilian great Marta, whose 17 goals in the women’s tournament had stood as the overall World Cup record, by scoring his fourth goal of the 2026 edition.
The strike extended Messi’s scoring streak to six consecutive World Cup matches.
He opened the tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria when he became the oldest player, at 38, to score three goals in a World Cup game and the first to appear at six editions of the tournament.
Messi crowned a flowing Argentina move in Dallas, starting the attack before arriving unmarked in the penalty area to sweep a first-time finish into the bottom corner from Facundo Medina’s low cross.
The Argentine talisman, who turns 39 later this week, had earlier missed a golden opportunity when he sent a penalty wide after Lautaro Martinez was fouled.
The goal sparked celebrations among a sea of Argentina shirts in Dallas, with chants of Messi’s name echoing around the stadium as, four decades after Diego Maradona’s iconic exploits, Argentina’s latest number 10 continued to build his own World Cup legacy.
The goal put Argentina ahead in their second Group J match as the South American side sought to secure a place in the knockout stage after opening their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Algeria.
