Lionel Messi became the highest goal scorer in World Cup history on Monday, moving up to 18 with a superb double in Argentina's Group J match against Austria and breaking a tie with Germany legend Miroslav Klose.
Messi entered the day on 16 goals following a hat trick in Argentina's opener, and missed a penalty early on against Austria which briefly denied him the outright record.
But Messi curled home from a cutback in the 38th minute and then added a late second in the 2-0 win in Dallas, which secures defending champion Argentina's place in the knockouts.
The Argentina captain has now scored in six consecutive World Cup games since 2022 and his 18th goal all-time also moves him clear of women's World Cup top scorer Marta, who has 17.
"There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it," Messi said after Monday's match.
Messi had tied Klose's record by scoring a hat trick during Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria to kick off the 2026 World Cup on June 16. The hat trick stands as the 11th of Messi's international career, but first at a World Cup.
The now 38-year-old Messi scored his first World Cup goal on June 16, 2006, at 18 years old, netting a second-half strike against Serbia and Montenegro.
Twenty years later, he continues to break records by leading in goal count and becoming the first player to feature in six different editions of a men's World Cup.
The goals put Messi up to 121 international goals for Argentina, trailing only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 143.
Argentina's triumph on Monday afternoon propelled Messi to lead in most men's World Cup victories as well.
"Beyond anything I'm so happy for the win," Messi said. "It was huge, tough and difficult. It would allow us to be relaxed to what's ahead. All matches in this World Cup are very even, very intense. I'm enjoying this moment and craving to enjoy with my teammates."
Mbappe
France's 27-year-old Kylian Mbappé has scored a total of 15 goals in his FIFA World Cup career, placing him among the most prolific scorers in tournament history.
Goals: 16 World Cups:
Four - 2002 (five goals), 2006 (five goals), 2010 (four goals), 2014 (two goals)
Matches played: 24
Goals: 15 World Cups: Three - 2018 (four goals), 2022 (eight goals), 2026 (three goals to date)
Matches played: 16
Goals: 15 World Cups: Four - 1994 (no goals), 1998 (four goals), 2002 (eight goals), 2006 (three goals)
Matches played: 19
Just Fontaine - France
Goals: 13
World Cups: One - 1958
Matches played: Six
Pele - Brazil
Goals: 12
World Cups: Four - 1958 (six goals), 1962 (one goal), 1966 (one goal), 1970 (four goals)
Matches played: 14
Jurgen Klinsmann - West Germany / Germany
Goals: 11
World Cups: Three - 1990 (three goals), 1994 (five goals), 1998 (three goals)
Matches played: 17
Sandor Kocsis - Hungary
Goals: 11
World Cups: One - 1954
Matches played: Five
Gabriel Batistuta - Argentina
Goals: 10
World Cups: Three - 1994 (four goals), 1998 (five goals), 2002 (one goal)
Matches played: 12
Teofilo Cubillas - Peru
Goals: 10
World Cups: Three - 1970 (five goals), 1978 (five goals), 1982 (no goals)
Matches played: 13
Harry Kane - England
Goals: 10
World Cups: Three – 2018 (six goals), 2022 (two goals), 2026 (two goals)
Matches played: 12
Grzegorz Lato - Poland
Goals: 10
World Cups: Three - 1974 (seven goals), 1978 (two goals), 1982 (one goal)
Matches played: 20
Gary Lineker - England
Goals: 10
World Cups: Two - 1986 (six goals), 1990 (four goals)
Matches played: 12
Thomas Muller - Germany
Goals: 10
World Cups: Four - 2010 (five goals), 2014 (five goals), 2018 (no goals), 2022 (no goals)
Matches played: 19
Helmut Rahn - West Germany
Goals: 10
World Cups: Two - 1954 (four goals), 1958 (six goals)
Matches played: 10
