Lionel Messi has done it again. On 22 June 2026, two days before his 39th birthday, the Argentine captain scored his 17th and 18th World Cup goals in a 2-0 win over Austria, overtaking Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer. For a player who walked away from international football in despair a decade ago, it is another chapter in a story that keeps defying belief.
Messi's latest milestone came in Argentina's second group match at the 2026 World Cup. Having equalled Klose's record of 16 goals with a hat-trick against Algeria a week earlier, he needed just one more to stand alone. Austria provided the stage. After missing an early penalty, Messi scored a low strike from a cut-back in the first half, then added a stoppage-time goal from a tight angle. It was his sixth World Cup match in a row in which he has found the net — another record.
“Lionel Messi becomes all-time World Cup top scorer, overtaking Miroslav Klose.”
The journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. In 2016, after Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years — the Copa America final to Chile, in which Messi missed a penalty in the shootout — he announced his retirement from the national team. “For me, the national team is over,” he said. “I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.” That decision lasted only a few weeks, and since reversing it, Messi has led Argentina to an era of unprecedented success: the 2022 World Cup (scoring seven goals, including two in the final), and back-to-back Copa America titles in 2024 and 2025. Remarkably, 12 of his 18 World Cup goals have come since he turned 35, and four have been scored from outside the box.
For UK readers, Messi's achievement resonates beyond mere statistics. It is a reminder of football's capacity for redemption and longevity. His 18 goals span six World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) — a career that has outlasted entire generations of players. The record he broke belongs to Miroslav Klose, the German striker whose 16 goals were long thought untouchable. Messi now holds the men's record outright (Brazil's Marta holds the women's record with 17). His tally includes goals against opponents from every continent, and he has scored with his left foot (14 of 18), from inside and outside the box, in knockout matches and group games.
Here are some key questions answered:
Q: Who did Lionel Messi overtake as the World Cup's all-time top scorer? A: He surpassed German striker Miroslav Klose, who had held the record with 16 goals since 2014. Klose scored his goals across four tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).
Q: How many World Cups has Messi played in? A: The 2026 tournament is his sixth. He made his debut in 2006 at age 18, scoring his first World Cup goal in that edition. He has now scored in all six tournaments he has played.
Q: Did Messi really retire from international football? A: Yes, in 2016 after Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile on penalties, with Messi missing his spot-kick. He reversed that decision shortly after, and has since won three major trophies with Argentina, including the 2022 World Cup.
What happens next? Argentina have already secured a place in the last 32, and their final group match is against Jordan. With form and momentum, Messi is likely to add to his record tally. The tournament continues through July, and Argentina — as reigning champions — remain strong contenders to defend their title. For Messi, every match now adds to a legacy that, as Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague put it, leaves us "without time to create statues" because we "cannot keep pace".