Lionel Messi once again wrote his name in the golden annals of football during the match against Austria. The Argentine captain scored a historic brace that placed him at the pinnacle of the sport's history.

With these goals, he became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history in his own right—a record previously held by Germany's Miroslav Klose that has now passed to the Argentina national team's number 10.

After missing a penalty in the opening minutes, Messi kept his cool and, following a superb team move down the left, received the ball in his usual position on the edge of the box to finish first-time with his left foot and open the scoring.

In the first half, Austria adopted a physical and defensive approach, making it difficult for the Argentine attackers to break through, but another moment of genius from Messi opened up the defence and marked a milestone that will go down in football history.

Towards the end of the match, the Argentina captain capitalized perfectly on a counterattack and—relying more on sheer effort than technique—sealed the final 2–0 scoreline with his second goal of the game.

The all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history

With his goals against the Austrian side, Messi reached 18 goals in his World Cup appearances. In doing so, he definitively surpassed the record held by German striker Miroslav Klose, who had led the scoring charts with 16 goals since the 2014 tournament.

This scoring record reflects the forward’s consistency throughout his career. Since his World Cup debut in 2006, Messi has spread his goals across various editions of the tournament, demonstrating a consistency in front of goal that few footballers have managed to maintain at the highest level.

Paradoxically, the only World Cup in which he failed to score was the 2010 tournament in South Africa, where his manager was none other than Diego Armando Maradona. Since then, he has scored in every other tournament.

Without going any further, in this 2026 World Cup, the almost 39-year-old striker has already scored a total of five goals in just two matches played. That’s right. It’s worth noting that Messi is about to turn 40. That makes his legacy all the more incredible.

Here, then, is the all-time World Cup goalscoring table following this update and the Argentine’s new record:

  • 18 goals: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  • 16 goals: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
  • 15 goals: Ronaldo (Brazil)
  • 14 goals: Gerd Müller (Germany)
  • 14 goals: Kylian Mbappé (France)

Messi, the all-time record holder for the ‘Ballon d'Or’ with eight awards, has thus achieved a feat that seemed impossible to match. Yet another milestone in his illustrious sporting career.

This latest individual feat in the match against Austria sets a new benchmark in the sport’s most important international competition.

And now… How long will Messi keep going?

A legend.