Lionel Messi made history on Monday, June 22, scoring his 17th World Cup goal.
This makes him the top scorer in men’s World Cup history, breaking the record previously held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
The moment arrived in the 38th minute in the round of 16 match between Argentina and Austria at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. After failing to convert an earlier penalty which would have made him the record holder, the ever resilient Messi showed his brilliance once again by shooting through Alex Schlager to put Argentina 1-0 up.
Not only was it an important goal for the Argentina team, but it was also a remarkable achievement for the 38-year-old icon.
With this, Messi has become the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches. Earlier, legendary players like France’s Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil’s Jairzinho (1970) were named in the list.
In addition to the goal, it boosted his international goal total to 121 goals in 201 appearances, and now Austria is the 42nd country to which he has scored.
The beginning of the match was nervous for Messi since his penalty in the seventh minute was saved by Schlager when Argentina won a penalty kick. It made him equal Klose on 16 goals, and many supporters wondered whether he would fail to achieve his target.
However, Messi proved to be one of the best football players as always and scored the goal. His spectacular touch helped Lautaro Martinez to score the goal.
2026-06-22 22:54:00
