By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-06-22 18:46:50 | Updated at 2026-06-23 13:33:45
19 hours ago
After finding the net against Austria, Lionel Messi has nudged ahead of Miroslav Klose to become the outright top scorer in World Cup history, with 17.
At 38 years and 363 days old, some may not have even expected Lionel Messi to still be playing at the highest level, let alone continuing to smash even the biggest and best records, but here we are.
With his 39th-minute goal against Austria for Argentina on Monday, Messi moved to 17 goals at the FIFA World Cup, making him the outright top scorer in the history of the men’s tournament.
He could have achieved it earlier in the game in Dallas, but sent an early penalty wide of the post, his third miss out of seven World Cup penalties, the most of any player (excluding shootouts).
However, he soon made amends, sweeping home a typically assured effort from just inside the Austria box, turning Facundo Medina’s low cross from the left into the net.
His story is close to a fairytale. After retiring from international football in 2016 following Argentina’s penalty shootout loss to Chile in the Copa América final, it felt like the end of the road for Messi’s quest to bring his country glory.
Just a couple of months later, though, he changed his mind and returned with one item on his wishlist: winning the World Cup. Following in Diego Maradona’s footsteps. Flooding the streets of Buenos Aires with joy.
In 2022, his dream became reality. Argentina were crowned champions of the world, taking down France on penalties in one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time. Messi wasn’t done there, though.
Still leading the way for Lionel Scaloni’s side in 2026, Messi has now leapfrogged Germany’s Miroslav Klose to become the outright all-time leading goalscorer in men’s World Cup history.
After netting a sublime hat-trick in their opening match against Algeria to go level with the German, Messi’s name now stands alone at the very top.
Kylian Mbappé is more than capable of catching and eventually overtaking Messi’s tally, either in this tournament or in the future. At just 27 years and 184 days old, and on 14 World Cup goals, the Frenchman is sure to have plenty more goals in him before he hangs up his international boots, and he could even make a dent in it later on Monday when France play Iraq.
For now, though, the record belongs to Messi.
Amazingly, his strike against Austria was his 11th World Cup goal after turning 35, and also his 11th goal contribution in his last six appearances in the tournament (nine goals, two assists).
His wand of a left foot continues to be one of the biggest headaches for defenders across the world. You can throw the kitchen sink at trying to stop it, but it’s inevitable. It can do just about anything possible.
Thirteen of his 17 World Cup goals have been struck with his left foot, and four of these have come from outside the box.
With this goal against Austria, Messi also became just the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive games, after France’s Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil’s Jairzinho in 1970.
Regardless of where you stand in the GOAT debate, Messi is undeniably a brilliant footballer doing brilliant things and is still an absolute joy to watch.
Enjoy watching the best of Lionel Messi while it lasts – and long may it continue.
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