Lionel Messi is now the outright greatest goalscorer in World Cup history, men’s or women’s, after scoring twice in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria to take his career tally to 18 goals. He moved past Germany’s Miroslav Klose, whose 16-goal record he’d equaled with a hat-trick against Algeria just six days earlier, and also passed Brazil’s Marta, the previous all-time leader across both the men’s and women’s World Cups combined. The 38-year-old missed a penalty just nine minutes in, recovered to score either side of halftime, and sealed the win with almost the last kick of the game, sending Argentina into the Round of 32 with a match still to spare.

Match Overview

How the Record-Breaking Night Unfolded

Argentina started on the front foot and won an early penalty after Lautaro Martínez was brought down in the box, but Messi’s attempt drifted wide off the post in the ninth minute, the only real blemish on an otherwise immaculate night. Moments later he was denied again, this time by a last-ditch challenge from David Alaba after Argentina’s goalkeeper and a defender had both been beaten.

The record finally arrived in the 38th minute. Thiago Almada dummied a low ball from Facundo Medina, letting it run through to Messi, who swept it home first-time from just inside the box, his 17th World Cup goal, moving him outright ahead of Klose. Austria pressed hard after the break without ever truly threatening, and Messi settled the contest deep into stoppage time: a Leandro Paredes through-ball found him in space, he laid it off to Julián Álvarez, and when Álvarez’s effort was blocked, Paredes collected the loose ball and squared it back for Messi to finish, his fifth goal of the tournament and 18th of his career, passing Marta as the all-time leader across men’s and women’s World Cups combined.

A Tougher Test Than Algeria

Austria, unlike Algeria in Argentina’s opener, made this a genuine contest. Ralf Rangnick’s side pressed aggressively and kept Messi far more tightly marked than he’d faced in the tournament opener, often surrounding him with several players the moment he received the ball. Despite that, Austria never registered a shot on target in the first half and struggled to turn their territorial spells into real chances throughout the match.

Goal.com’s player ratings called it “by no means a vintage display” from Lionel Scaloni’s side, noting that Argentina “didn’t need to be at their best because they had Messi.” Austria remain very much alive in Group J, sitting on three points with a final match against Algeria still to come.

The Record in Full

What’s Next for Argentina

Argentina have already secured their place in the Round of 32 with a match to spare, and face Jordan in Dallas in their final Group J fixture on Saturday, June 27. Messi now has at least one more guaranteed appearance to extend his record before the knockout rounds begin, with Argentina aiming to defend the title they won in Qatar in 2022.

Follow live score updates and the latest Group J standings on our World Cup 2026 hub.

Messi’s penalty miss will be a footnote by the time this World Cup is over. What will be remembered is a 38-year-old, in what’s almost certainly his last tournament, adding a fifth goal to his collection and writing himself alone at the top of football’s most historic scoring list, men’s or women’s, any era, any country. Argentina have a target on their back as defending champions, but with Messi playing like this, they remain exactly the team everyone expected to be chasing.