JUNE 22, 2026
Lionel Messi overtakes Miroslav Klose’s record to become footballer with most goals at FIFA World Cup.
Lionel Messi added a new feather to his already illustrious hat by becoming the footballer with most number of goals at FIFA World Cup. Messi achieved the feat in the Group J fixture between Argentina and Austria at the Dallas Stadium on Monday night (IST).
Messi scored in the 38th minute drilling the ball into the left corner after receiving a pass inside the D, which was also the first goal of the match.
The goal took Messi’s tally to 17 at the World Cups, overtaking Miroslav Klose in the process, who had scored 16 in 24 appearances at the showpiece event. Messi is playing his 28th World Cup match. Meanwhile, Messi is playing his sixth World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) as compared to Klose, who played four editions (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).
Messi had a golden chance to unlock the feat inside the first five minutes but he failed to convert a penalty, which was awarded to Argentina after a foul on Lautaro Martínez inside the D. Martinez was tackled by Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch from both sides sandwiching the Argentine forward in between. Messi, however, shot it wide of the post towards his right, allowing Austria a big sigh of relief.
Moments later Messi was part of another threatening run, which saw him dribble past quite a few Austrian defenders but his shot failed to beat goalkeeper Alexander Schlager from almost right in front of the goal.
Messi started the tournament on a commanding note, inspiring Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in their 2026 World Cup opener. All three goals were scored by Messi, also marking his first hat-trick in the tournament.
Notably, the hat-trick also came exactly 20 years after Messi’s first World Cup goal in 2006, which came in Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia in the 2006 World Cup, adding a historic milestone to his landmark performance. This is Messi’s 201th appearance for Argentina.
Courtesy: Moneycontrol
