Lionel Messi stepped up to the penalty spot in the first half of Argentina's match against Austria on Monday, with the entire soccer world anticipating the moment that would see him break the FIFA World Cup scoring record.
But he missed.
Fortunately for Messi, it didn't take long to make amends. Just minutes later, he found the back of the net from an even tougher angle, scoring his 17th World Cup goal to surpass Miroslav Klose and become the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
He wasn't done, as he would go on to score another goal in the closing minutes of the 2-0 win over Austria to reach 18 World Cup goals.
Coming off an opening match against Algeria in which he became the oldest player in World Cup history to register a hat trick, Messi picked up right where he left off on Monday, leading a constant assault on Austria’s backline.
It felt like only a matter of time before Argentina broke through, and it came as no surprise that Messi was the one to do it, scoring his tournament-leading fourth and fifth goal through just two matches.
Through the five goals in 2026, here's Messi breakdown of his 18 World Cup goals:
YEAR |
GOALS |
2006 |
1 |
2010 |
0 |
2014 |
4 |
2018 |
1 |
2022 |
7 |
2026 |
5 |
With this being Messi’s record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance, the tournament has already been billed as “El Último Tango” — The Last Tango. The expectation is that we may be watching him on this stage for the final time, but given how dominant he has looked to start the 2026 World Cup, could he have one more show left in him for 2030?
Whether or not this proves to be Messi's final World Cup chapter, Inter Miami supporters won't have to wait long to watch him continue his pursuit of silverware, with the Herons kicking off their 2026 Leagues Cup campaign against Atlético San Luis on August 5.
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