Lionel Messi became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after his brace in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday. His goals helped the defending champions secure a place in the last 32 of the 2026 tournament.
Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, scored his 17th and 18th World Cup goals to move clear of former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, whose record of 16 goals stood since 2014.
The Argentina captain opened the scoring in the 38th minute in Dallas, finishing first-time from inside the penalty area after a clever assist sequence involving Thiago Almada and Facundo Medina.
He added his second deep into stoppage time, firing home from a tight angle after Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager had denied Julian Alvarez moments earlier.
Messi had the opportunity to break the record earlier when Argentina were awarded a penalty after Stefan Posch fouled Lautaro Martinez, but the forward sent his spot-kick wide.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner now leads the scoring charts at the 2026 World Cup with five goals in two matches, following his hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria.
Austria came close to equalising before Messi’s second goal, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a strong save to keep out Marcel Sabitzer’s powerful free-kick on the midfielder’s 100th international appearance.
Argentina moved onto six points and joined Mexico, the United States and Germany in the knockout stage, while Austria remained on three points and retained hopes of qualification.
Messi’s latest achievement further cemented his place among football’s greatest players, with 12 of his 18 World Cup goals having come after the age of 35. His international tally now stands at 122 goals in 201 appearances for Argentina.