Lionel Messi has done it!
Messi, Argentina's captain and one of the greatest soccer players of all-time, scored a historic goal against Austria in a Group J match in the 2026 World Cup contest in Dallas.
In the 38th minute, Messi scored his 17th career World Cup goal, passing Germany's Miroslav Klose for the most goals (16) in Men's FIFA World Cup history.
The historic goal is already Messi's fourth of the 2026 World Cup as he netted a hat trick, scoring all three goals in Argentina's 3-0 opening win over Algeria. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is competing in his sixth and potential final World Cup in his illustrious career.
He wasn't done, as Messi, who turns 39 in on June 24, scored his second goal of the game and 18th World Cup goal of his career in the dying minutes to put a stamp on Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria to officially punch their ticket to the knockout stage in the Round of 32.
Through two games, Messi has scored all five of Argentina's World Cup goals.
The milestone moment came after Messi could've made history earlier in the match, but surprisingly missed a penalty kick wide right in the eighth minute.
Messi and Argentina are aiming to become only the third repeat champions in World Cup history, joining Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) to win back-to-back World Cups after defeating France in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Source: NorthJersey.com
