By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Argentina captain Lionel Messi produced another historic performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026, scoring twice in a 2-0 victory over Austria to become the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer and guide the defending champions into the knockout stage.
The 38-year-old forward surpassed former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals, taking his tally to 18 after a brace in the Group J encounter in Texas on June 22. The victory also secured Argentina’s place in the last 32, with the reigning champions collecting six points from their opening two matches.
Messi entered the match level with Klose after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria. He broke the record in the 38th minute against Austria when a clever dummy from Thiago Almada allowed the ball to run through to him, and the Argentine star calmly slotted home to give his side the lead.
He added a second goal deep into stoppage time, finishing off a swift counter-attack in the 95th minute to seal the victory and further extend his record.
The match began with an early setback for Messi, who missed a penalty in the sixth minute after Argentina were awarded a spot-kick following a VAR review. Austria responded with an energetic pressing game and troubled the South American side for much of the first half before Messi’s breakthrough shifted the momentum.
The brace saw Messi achieve several milestones. In addition to becoming the highest goalscorer in men’s World Cup history, he also became the player with the most World Cup victories, recording his 18th win and surpassing Klose’s previous mark of 17.
According to Guinness World Records, Messi now holds records for most World Cup goals, most World Cup wins, most World Cup appearances and most minutes played in the tournament. Data provider Opta also noted that Messi became only the second player, alongside Klose, to score four or more goals in three different World Cup editions -2014, 2022 and 2026.
With five goals in just two matches, Messi currently leads the scoring charts at the tournament. He has also scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, equalling a record jointly held by France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.
Ahead of the match, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni praised Messi as the veteran forward approached his 40th birthday on June 24.
“We believe it’s the group that gets through both the good and the bad moments. We know that being beside a friend always makes things better. I just want him to be happy, that’s what we all want,” Scaloni said.
The Argentina coach also voiced concerns about the newly introduced hydration-break rule at the tournament, saying frequent stoppages disrupt the natural flow of matches.
Following Messi’s record-breaking display, Klose himself was among the first to congratulate the Argentine icon.
“I’ve always said Messi is no slouch. For me, Leo is the best footballer of all time. Congratulations, champion,” the former Germany striker said.
With Argentina sitting comfortably atop Group J and Messi continuing to rewrite football history, the defending champions head into the knockout rounds with momentum firmly on their side.