Messi Breaks Men’s World Cup Scoring Record, Equals Marta’s All-Time Mark With 17th Goal

Argentina star Lionel Messi etched his name further into football history on Monday, becoming the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history after netting his 17th tournament goal during Argentina’s clash against Austria.

The Argentina captain surpassed German striker Miroslav Klose to set a new men’s World Cup scoring record. The strike also drew him level with Brazilian legend Marta, whose 17 goals in the Women’s World Cup had stood as the overall World Cup record, Reuters reported.

Messi reached the milestone with his fourth goal of the 2026 tournament, finishing off a sweeping Argentina move in Dallas. The 39-year-old initiated the attack before arriving unmarked inside the penalty area to convert a low cross from Facundo Medina with a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

The goal handed Argentina the lead in their second Group J fixture as the defending champions looked to book a place in the knockout stages following their 3-0 opening victory over Algeria.

Messi’s World Cup Career

Messi’s World Cup journey began in 2006 when he scored his first competitive goal for Argentina at the tournament against Serbia and Montenegro. He did not find the net at the 2010 World Cup, but returned strongly in Brazil 2014, scoring four goals and leading Argentina to the final.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Messi scored once before producing one of the finest campaigns of his career in Qatar 2022. He netted seven goals during Argentina’s title-winning run, including a brace in the final against France, cementing his place among the game’s greatest players, NBC News reported.

The latest World Cup scoring milestone adds to an already extraordinary list of achievements. Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or awards with eight, scored a record 91 goals in a calendar year in 2012, remains Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals, and is the highest goalscorer in La Liga history with 474 goals.