By MATT PIKE
There's a new highest goal scorer in World Cup history as Lionel Messi moved up to 18 with a superb double in Argentina's Group J match against Austria, breaking a tie with Germany legend Miroslav Klose.
Messi entered the day with 16 goals following a hat trick in Argentina's opener in Kansas City against Algeria, and after missing a penalty early on against Austria which briefly denied him the outright record, Messi curled home from a cutback in the 38th minute and then added a late second in the 2-0 win in Dallas, which secures defending champion Argentina's place in the knockouts. Messi has also now scored in six consecutive World Cup games since 2022 and his 18th goal all-time also moves him clear of women's World Cup top scorer Marta, who has 17.
Messi had tied Klose's record by scoring a hat trick during Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria to kick off the 2026 World Cup on June 16th at Arrowhead Stadium, or Kansas City Stadium as it's known during the FIFA World Cup. The hat trick stands as the 11th of Messi's international career, but was the first for the Argentia Captain at a World Cup.
Messi scored his first World Cup goal on June 16th, 2006, at 18 years old, netting a second-half strike against Serbia and Montenegro. Twenty years later, he continues to break records by leading in goal count and becoming the first player to feature in six different editions of a men's World Cup. The goals also put Messi up to 121 international goals for Argentina, trailing only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 143.
Argentina, meanwhile, extended its winning streak in the tournament to eight since a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in its 2022 opener in Qatar. Argentina has now officially qualified for the World Cup's round of 32 after, leading Group J with six points. La Albiceleste will close the group stage chapter of the competition with the match against Jordan back in Texas.
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