Lionel Messi Becomes World Cup's All-Time Top Scorer

Lionel Messi etched his name into the history of world football at the 2026 World Cup. Two goals in the group-stage match against Austria (2:0) made him the sole record holder for goals scored in World Cup history — 18 goals across six tournaments. The previous record belonged to Germany's Miroslav Klose, with 16 goals.

In the 9th minute of the match against Austria, Messi failed to convert a penalty. The miss didn't throw him off. In the 38th minute, after a pass from full-back Facundo Medina, Messi struck from the edge of the box and opened the scoring. In stoppage time he netted a second, pouncing on a rebound off goalkeeper Alexander Schlager following a shot by Julián Álvarez.

After the match, Messi was asked which of his World Cup goals he liked the most. He replied that he didn't know and remembered little. "I'm tired, I have little energy, and it's hard for me to think. I'm just going to enjoy this moment and celebrate it with my teammates. I'm enjoying the present and want to see how far we can go together," he added. 

Messi began his journey toward the record in Germany in 2006, when he was 18 years old. He scored in the match against Serbia and Montenegro. 

In South Africa in 2010, Messi didn't score once. In Brazil in 2014, four goals: against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a long-range winner against Iran in stoppage time, and a brace against Nigeria.

At the 2018 tournament in Russia, one goal again, against Nigeria again, at a moment when the team was at risk of being knocked out of the group. In Qatar in 2022, Messi scored seven goals.

At the current tournament, Messi first recorded his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in the match against Algeria (3:0), then added two more goals against Jordan (2:0) — drawing level with Klose. His two goals against Austria put him ahead.

Almost immediately after Messi's record, Mbappé scored two braces in a row against Senegal (3:1) and Iraq (3:0), reaching 16 World Cup goals and pulling level with Klose. The France captain has done so in three fewer tournaments than Messi.

"I knew Leo would score goals — he's Leo Messi, he always scores," Mbappé said of his former teammate's hat-trick. "He's the one who holds the record, I'm right behind him. I'll keep scoring to help my team go as far as possible."