Lionel Messi added yet another remarkable chapter to his legendary career after becoming the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer as Argentina secured a 2-0 victory over Austria to book their place in the knockout stage of the 2026 tournament.
The Argentina captain struck twice in the Group J encounter to take his World Cup tally to a record 18 goals, moving past former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who previously held the record with 16 goals.
Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a trademark finish after receiving a cut-back from Facundo Medina. The 39-year-old curled his effort into the bottom corner to give the defending champions the lead after earlier missing a penalty.
He sealed the victory deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest inside the penalty area to score his second goal of the night and secure Argentina’s progression to the last 16.
The brace further strengthened Messi’s place among football’s greatest players and added another significant milestone to an already extraordinary international career.
The Argentine superstar also became only the third player in World Cup history to score in six successive tournament appearances. He joins France’s Just Fontaine, who achieved the feat at the 1958 World Cup, and Brazil’s Jairzinho, who accomplished it during the 1970 tournament.
Messi now sits alone at the top of the World Cup scoring charts with 18 goals. Klose remains second on 16 goals, while Brazilian legend Ronaldo follows with 15 goals and Germany great Gerd Müller finished his World Cup career with 14.
The forward has represented Argentina at six World Cups, featuring in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions. Having captained his country to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, Messi has continued to produce historic moments on football’s biggest stage.
Argentina dominated large spells of the contest but faced resistance from an organised Austrian side. Austria created several chances through Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez produced important saves to preserve his side’s clean sheet.
Messi had the opportunity to open the scoring earlier from the penalty spot after a VAR review awarded Argentina a spot kick, but his effort drifted wide.
Nevertheless, the veteran forward responded in typical fashion, delivering two decisive goals that not only secured victory for Lionel Scaloni’s side but also ensured Argentina’s passage to the knockout rounds.
As Argentina continue their title defence, Messi’s latest achievement serves as another reminder of his enduring brilliance and his unrivalled impact on the World Cup stage.
