By Juan Samuel Santana Chávez

Lionel Messi wrote a new golden page in football history by becoming the all-time top scorer in the FIFA World Cups. The Argentina captain reached 18 World Cup goals after scoring a brace in the Albiceleste's victory over Austria during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, surpassing the mark of 16 goals previously held by Germany's Miroslav Klose since Brazil 2014.

The record came in the sixth World Cup of Messi's career, who also played his 28th match in the premier international football tournament. Just a few days prior, he had matched Klose's tally with a hat-trick against Algeria, but against Austria, he definitively broke the record with his 17th and 18th goals, solidifying himself as the top scorer in World Cup history.

At 38 years old, the Qatar 2022 world champion continues to expand a legacy that began in Germany 2006. With five goals in Argentina's first two matches of the 2026 World Cup, Messi not only leads the tournament's scoring chart but also left behind a record that seemed unreachable, reaffirming his place among the greatest legends the world of football has ever seen.