Argentina’s greatest ever player has done it, etching his name permanently into World Cup folklore with a brilliant finish against Austria on June 22, 2026.
Lionel Messi now stands alone at the summit of World Cup history, surpassing German legend Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 goals to reach 17.
The moment almost did not come when it should have, as Argentina were awarded a penalty in the opening stages of the match against Austria.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner showed a rare human side, sending the spot-kick wide and temporarily keeping the record just out of his reach.
Tension inside the stadium built with every passing minute as Austria held firm and the record appeared to be drifting further away.
But thirty minutes after his penalty miss, the 38-year-old produced a composed, brilliant finish from the edge of the box that left the goalkeeper with absolutely no chance.
The goal was the culmination of a remarkable tournament for the Argentine captain, who had already stunned the competition with his performances in the group stage.
It was his hat-trick against Algeria in the opening group stage clash that drew Messi level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals, a tally many believed would never be beaten.
Klose’s record had stood as one of football’s most untouchable landmarks, yet Messi’s extraordinary consistency across multiple World Cup tournaments made this moment feel inevitable.
With the match against Austria still ongoing at the time of the record-breaking strike, Messi will be hungry to add further goals and potentially push the record even further beyond reach.
The all-time top five World Cup scorers now reads as follows: Messi leads on 17 goals, followed by Klose on 16, Brazil’s Ronaldo on 15, West Germany’s Gerd Muller on 14, and France’s Just Fontaine on 13.
Whatever the final outcome of this tournament, the little boy from Rosario has written his name into World Cup history forever, and no one can ever take that away from him.
