Dallas (US), June 23 : Lionel Messi is now the greatest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history, and no one is close. The Argentine captain changed the record books on Monday night, scoring two goals against Austria in a Group J match at Dallas Stadium, Texas. This brought his total World Cup goals to 18, passing German legend Miroslav Klose, who held the men’s record of 16 goals for over a decade.
GOAT Debate Over: Messi Becomes World Cup’s Greatest Goalscorer!
But Messi didn’t stop there. His 18th goal also surpassed Brazilian icon Marta’s total of 17, making him the highest scorer in the history of both men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups combined. One man, all records, gone.
The evening didn’t start well; Messi missed a penalty in the 9th minute. But in typical fashion, he collected himself and delivered when it counted. His first goal came in the 38th minute with a precise left-footed shot after a clever feint from Thiago Almada left the Austrian goalkeeper wrong-footed. Then, deep in injury time, Messi secured the record with another goal through a crowd of defenders.
Argentina won 2-0 and secured their spot in the Round of 32.
This marks Messi’s record-setting sixth World Cup, a milestone that no other male player has reached. He has now scored five goals in just two matches at the 2026 tournament, accounting for every one of Argentina’s goals so far.
And he turns 39 on Wednesday.
THE NUMBERS THAT DEFINE A LEGEND
Total World Cup Goals: 18
World Cups Played: 6
Matches: 28
2026 Goals So Far: 5
Breakdown by tournament:
2006 — 1 goal
2010 — 0 goals
2014 — 4 goals
2018 — 1 goal
2022 — 7 goals
2026 — 5 goals (and counting)
He also became only the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches, joining Just Fontaine (1958) and Jairzinho (1970).
Twenty years after scoring his first World Cup goal as an 18-year-old against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi is still rewriting history—one goal at a time.
