A historic achievement: Messi reigns supreme as World Cup goalscorer

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has become the all-time leading scorer in the FIFA World Cup after leading his national team to a valuable 2-0 victory over Austria in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 edition. He scored both goals in the match, further cementing his place in the history books. Messi now has 18 goals in his World Cup career, surpassing the previous record of 16 goals he shared with Germany's Miroslav Klose, thus becoming the tournament's sole all-time top scorer. This achievement comes just days after his outstanding performance in Argentina's opening match against Algeria, where he scored a historic hat-trick, leading the Albiceleste to a 3-0 victory. The 38-year-old Argentine captain continues to break records in the global tournament, having become the first player to score in six different World Cup editions. He also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record held by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. His brace against Austria cemented his place among the game's legends, making him only the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches, after France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho. Messi, who led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, proves he can still make a difference on the biggest football stage, continuing to add to his exceptional career and cementing his status as one of the greatest players in football history, while Argentina continues its campaign in the tournament with high hopes of competing for the world title once again.