Lionel Messi has officially cemented his status as the absolute king of football by scoring his 17th World Cup goal against Austria, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.
The Argentine maestro, who had previously net a spectacular hat-trick against Algeria, started the match against Austria by uncharacteristically missing a penalty. However, in the 39th minute, the 38-year-old legend redeemed himself in spectacular fashion. Scoring Argentina’s opening goal, Messi broke his tie with German legend Miroslav Klose to stand alone at the top of the World Cup scoring charts.
How the Historic Goal Happened
Messi received the ball inside the penalty box and unleashed an unstoppable, trademark left-footed strike past Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, rewriting football history once again.
Lionel Messi’s 17 World Cup Goals Breakdown:
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2006 Germany: 1 goal
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2014 Brazil: 4 goals
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2018 Russia: 1 goal
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2022 Qatar: 7 goals
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2026 USA, Canada, & Mexico: 4 goals (Current tournament top scorer)
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words…
التاريخ يُكتب من جديد… ميسي يصبح الهداف التاريخي لكأس العالم! 🐐🇦🇷
📹⚽️ شاهد الهدف التاريخي#كأس_العالم2026 | #مونديال2026 | #كأس_العالم | #ميسي | #الأرجنتين #beINWC26 | #FIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCup | #Messi | #Argentina pic.twitter.com/gNQGu0AlMy
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 22, 2026
