FIFA World Cup 2026: By scoring a goal against Austria, Lionel Messi set the record for the most goals (17) in FIFA World Cup history and also secured a victory for Argentina.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi Becomes the All-Time World Cup Top Scorer
On Monday, Lionel Messi scored for Argentina against Austria in a Group J match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Dallas Stadium. With this, he set the record for the most individual goals scored by any player in the tournament's history. This was Messi's 17th goal overall in the FIFA World Cup and his fourth in the 2026 edition.
Two days before his 39th birthday, Messi not only broke the record for the most goals in the tournament but also became the third player—after France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho—to score in six consecutive World Cup matches. This is Messi's fourth goal of the tournament, bringing his total World Cup tally to 17.
Lionel Messi FIFA World Cup Statistics –
Messi surpassed the record of 16 goals held by Germany's Miroslav Klose. Messi now leads the list with 17 goals. He is followed by Klose (16 goals) and Brazil's Ronaldo (15 goals). France's Kylian Mbappé and Germany's Gerd Müller are next on the list with 14 goals each.
Highest goal-scorers in FIFA World Cup history:
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | Matches | Ratio | Tournaments | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 18 | 28 | 0.64 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 0.67 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 3 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 0.79 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 4 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1.08 | 1970, 1974 |
| 5 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 14 | 15 | 0.93 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 6 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 | 2.17 | 1958 |
| 7 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 | 14 | 0.86 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 8 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 | 2.20 | 1954 |
| 9 | Jürgen Klinsmann | West Germany / Germany | 11 | 17 | 0.65 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 10 | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 | 10 | 1.00 | 1954, 1958 |
| 11 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 | 12 | 0.83 | 1986, 1990 |
| 12 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 | 12 | 0.83 | 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| 13 | Harry Kane | England | 10 | 12 | 0.83 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 14 | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 | 13 | 0.77 | 1970, 1978, 1982 |
| 15 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 10 | 19 | 0.53 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 16 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 | 20 | 0.50 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
Argentina vs Austria match Highlights–
As defending champions, Argentina faced a tough challenge from Austria, and Messi spearheaded the team's impressive comeback with a brilliant goal. He received the ball and passed it to Thiago Almada, who returned a precise pass to him. Messi controlled the ball and unleashed a powerful shot, beating Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. He could have set the record a few minutes earlier but missed a penalty. By halftime of the match at the Dallas Stadium, Argentina was leading Austria 1-0.
Argentina staged a strong comeback, displaying an aggressive style of play. They dominated the opening minutes, but after Messi missed a penalty, they failed to take the lead, causing the team's control to waver slightly.
Austria dominated the next few minutes and maintained control of the game. They employed a 'high press' strategy and thwarted the opposition's attempts to build attacks. Playing aggressively, they kept the match level for the next 15 minutes; however, they were not entirely successful, as they could not convert their dominance into a goal.
Argentina then regained the initiative when Messi orchestrated a move from midfield. Linking up with Thiago Almada, he created a promising opportunity and converted it into a goal, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead. In doing so, he also set the record for the most individual goals scored by a single player.
