Lionel Messi, by scoring his 17th goal in the FIFA World Cup, has become the outright all-time top scorer in the history of the tournament in the men’s category.
The captain of the Argentina national team scored during the group-stage match of the 2026 World Cup against Austria, setting a new record. With this goal, Messi surpassed the record held by Miroslav Klose, the former German striker, and moved to the top of the all-time World Cup scoring list.
He also reached a total of four goals in the 2026 World Cup, bringing his overall World Cup tally to 17. With this achievement, the Argentine star has equaled the record of Marta, the Brazilian women’s football legend, for the most goals in World Cup history, securing a distinguished place among the competition’s greatest scorers.
Messi’s goal came after a well-coordinated team move by Argentina. He initiated the attack and then, arriving at the right moment inside the penalty area, converted a cross from Facundo Medina into a goal.
The goal put Argentina ahead in the match against Austria, moving the reigning world champions one step closer to advancing from the group stage. Argentina had previously defeated Algeria 3–0 in their opening match.
With this achievement, Messi added another milestone to his illustrious career, once again etching his name into World Cup history.
The first half of the match ended with Argentina leading 1–0. However, Messi also missed a penalty during the game.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
