24 June,2026 09:47 AM IST | Arlington, United States | Agencies
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi celebrates his goal against Austria at Arlington on Tuesday, making him the all-time leading scorer at World Cups. Pic/AFP
Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history as the Argentina captain struck twice in a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday to send the defending champions into the last 32.
Messi broke the record in the 38th minute after a pass from Facundo Medina to take his World Cup tally to a record 17 goals. The 38-year-old then sealed the match deep in second-half injury time as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.
It should have been even better for Messi, who missed a penalty early on, stunning a fiercely pro-Argentina 70,649 crowd at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas
Cowboys.
In the 19th minute, Messi had a clear sniff at goal, only for Austria captain David Alaba to steal the ball off his toes at the last moment as he danced through.
Alaba denied Messi again just after the half-hour mark, blocking his goalbound shot with goalkeeper Alexander Schlager stranded. And then came the big moment, Messi sweeping in on 38 minutes after being set up by Medina, with Thiago Almada cleverly letting the ball run through his legs to leave Argentina's talisman all on his own and the goal gaping.
The Argentina fans, who greatly outnumbered their Austrian counterparts, rose to acclaim their hero. Messi had equalled Miroslav Klose's all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals when hitting a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria in the holders' opening game. Kylian Mbappe, who scored his 16th career World Cup goal during France's 3-0 win over Iraq, is just two shy of equalling Messi's record.
Messi was tearful after his first goal against Algeria, and it later emerged that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue.
Messi said he is not thinking about his age; his only focus is to remain fit. "I'm not spending time thinking about my age. I'm simply focused on being well," Messi told reporters. "I feel physically good, and maybe that's why I'm playing better."
With the reigning champion's progress to the Round of 32 already assured, Messi said he was unsure if he would play in Argentina's final group match vs Jordan on Saturday.
Two
Lionel Messi's brace vs Austria, after a hat-trick vs Algeria, makes him only the second player to score his team's first five goals in a single World Cup edition, after Russia's Oleg Salenko in 1994
28
Record number of World Cup matches played by Lionel Messi
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
