Lionel Messi added to his legacy Monday afternoon by scoring his record-breaking 17th career World Cup goal in the first half before adding his 18th in second-half stoppage time of Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria in Arlington, Texas.
The 17th goal broke a tie with Germany’s Miroslav Klose. The 18th briefly put him four in front of Kylian Mbappe, the next-closest active player — only for the French star to score a brace later Monday against Iraq to match Klose’s 16.
“Well, I’m very happy because of this victory,” Messi said immediately after the match through an interpreter. “This was a very important and tough victory. We worked very hard on it. And that reassures us for what’s coming next.
“So this is a World Cup. All of the matches are very intense, and all of the teams play well. And we’re happy because we have six points and we’re qualified.”
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, has scored 11 of his historic total of 18 goals since turning 35. His total from the last two World Cups alone would be tied for seventh on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
Messi scored his record-setting goal on a first-touch left-footed strike from just inside the 18-yard box in the 38th minute off an assist from Facundo Medina.
He completed his brace five minutes into added time, cleaning up his own rebound following a surging counterattack and firing low through traffic. That gave him a two-goal lead over Canada’s Jonathan David and Germany’s Deniz Undav in the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race.
Asked for his favorite World Cup goal of his career, Messi could not pinpoint one.
“I don’t remember, really,” he said. “I’m tired. I don’t have a lot of strength and it’s hard to think for me right now. So I’m just enjoying this moment and I want to join my colleagues.”
Messi, who became one of the first two players to appear in six World Cups last week alongside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, entered this summer’s event three goals behind Klose. Behind his first career World Cup hat trick in the Group J opener vs. Algeria on June 16, he pulled even entering the second group-stage match.
With the goal, Messi also tied a different World Cup record, scoring in his sixth straight match dating back to the 2022 World Cup which Argentina won. He’s just the third player to score in six straight World Cup matches alongside France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.
He appeared destined to break the record approximately 30 minutes earlier when Lautaro Martinez was tackled in the box and Argentina was awarded a penalty kick. However, Messi missed the ensuing penalty kick wide of the right post in the ninth minute.
“I had the penalty that I could have scored,” Messi said. “Well, maybe had I done that, I wouldn’t have scored the others. You never know. But I’m happy about the results because of our participation and the teamwork. Well, let’s hope it will even go better.”
–Field Level Media
