Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, has rewritten World Cup history by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goal scorer. His milestone came during a tense match against Austria, where he initially missed a penalty but redeemed himself with a clinical finish from the edge of the box to give his team the lead.
This 17th World Cup goal moves Messi past Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who held the record at 16 goals. Klose now sits second on the all-time list. Notably, Messi is also the first player to compete in six different World Cup editions.
Here is the updated list of the top five goal scorers in World Cup history:
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 17 goals
Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 goals
Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 goals
Gerd Müller (Germany) – 14 goals
Kylian Mbappé (France) – 14 goals
Messi’s achievement solidifies his legacy as one of football’s greatest, adding another historic record to his illustrious career.