Lionel Messi breaks World Cup goals record with 17th strike

Once known on the international level for not being able to deliver on the biggest of stages for his country, Lionel Messi further etched his name into immortality on Monday, netting his 17th and 18th World Cup goals against Austria to surpass Germany legend Miroslav Klose and stand alone as the greatest scorer in men’s World Cup history.

The milestone further extends the storybook 20-year World Cup journey that began on June 16, 2006, when an 18-year-old Messi came off the bench against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany and scored. Two decades later, almost to the day, he opened the 2026 tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria, pulling level with Klose on 16 goals and surpassing the legendary Ronaldo of Brazil. All that was needed was one more signature goal to reach the summit of prolific World Cup scorers, but he decided to get two. 

The signature moment came in the 38th minute when Messi received a low pass at the top of the box and buried it in the corner. Though it happened after a fair bit of drama, because Messi had a chance to break the record half an hour earlier when he stepped to the penalty spot in the ninth minute following a foul on Lautaro Martinez. Messi, however, put the penalty wide and had to wait an extra half hour before making history. He added a second in stoppage time with a follow-up on a shot, sliding from close to put it into the net. 

Few players have defined a tournament the way Messi defined Qatar 2022. He scored seven goals across the competition, including two in the final, as Argentina defeated France on penalties to claim their third World Cup title and cement his status as arguably the greatest player to live. It was the crowning chapter of a career many considered already complete, yet here he is at 38, rewriting the record books once more while leading Argentina to contention. 

With 18 World Cup goals, 201 international caps and a record sixth World Cup appearance, Messi continues to deliver no matter the obstacles and could potentially extend the record further with more games ahead for the South Americans.

Now, as for how long he could hold this record, it will depend on the form of Kylian Mbappe, who has 14 goals ahead of facing Iraq on Monday. The Frenchman already scored twice in the opening win against Senegal, and at age 27, is likely to have at least one more World Cup after this one, if not multiple. 

At 27, Mbappe entered with 12 World Cup goals to his name. Messi entered the 2022 World Cup at 35 years of age and with just six goals scored, having recorded 11 goals in his last nine games.