The 38-year-old captain recovered from a dismal early penalty miss to score twice and become the greatest World Cup goalscorer in the tournament’s history.
Dallas, Texas — Lionel Messi had just scuffed a penalty wide in the ninth minute, his third spot-kick failure at a World Cup, with Argentina labouring against a disciplined Austria side. But football’s most enduring superstar has never needed long to remind the world who he is. Within half an hour, the 38-year-old had converted from close range to claim his 17th World Cup goal — breaking Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 — and deep into stoppage time he added an 18th to seal a 2–0 victory that sent Argentina into the knockout rounds as Group J winners.
“Today there was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty because I missed it. I kicked it very badly, and well, luckily we were able to turn that situation around, take the lead and get the three points, which is what’s important.” – Lionel Messi, post-match press conference, Dallas, June 22, 2026
The significance of the achievement stretched beyond the men’s game. With 18 goals across his five World Cups, Messi has also surpassed Brazil’s Marta — who netted 17 times at the Women’s World Cup — to become the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history, regardless of gender. It is the kind of landmark that seemed far-fetched when a stick-thin teenager from Rosario first appeared at Germany 2006, and it was met with a standing ovation from a Dallas crowd that understood they were witnessing something irreplaceable.
Messi now holds 18 World Cup goals across five tournaments — more than any player in the history of either the men’s or women’s competition.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who has guided this group from world champions to history-makers, was characteristically generous — and quietly exasperated by the impossibility of summing up his captain.
“After the penalty, there were a few minutes when it seemed like nothing was happening, but that’s also a product of the maturity this team has. Missing a penalty is a blow, but when Messi switches on, everyone switches on.” – Lionel Scaloni, post-match press conference, Dallas, June 22, 2026
Argentina’s final Group J fixture against Jordan on June 27 is expected to provide squad rotation opportunities, though a cloud hangs over the coming days following a knee concern for centre-back Cristán Romero, who left the field early. Scaloni confirmed the extent of the injury is not yet known. But for now, football’s longest and most debated GOAT conversation has a new, cleaner answer — written in World Cup history.
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