TEXAS, June 23 — Lionel Messi became the winningest player in FIFA World Cup history on Monday, surpassing German great Miroslav Klose after leading Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria in a Group J match at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Argentine captain recorded his 18th World Cup victory, moving ahead of Klose’s previous record of 17 wins and establishing a new tournament benchmark.
Messi had matched Klose’s record during Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in its opening match, where he scored a hat trick. The win over Austria allowed him to claim sole possession of the record.
The 38-year-old also strengthened his place in World Cup history by becoming the all-time leading scorer in the men’s tournament. Entering the match tied with Klose on 16 goals, Messi scored twice to raise his World Cup tally to 18 goals.
His first goal came in the 38th minute, breaking Klose’s record. He added a second deep into stoppage time to seal Argentina’s victory and extend his lead atop the all-time scoring chart.
Messi also became only the second player in men’s World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different editions of the tournament, having achieved the feat in 2014, 2022, and 2026. Klose is the only other player to accomplish the milestone.
The two-goal performance moved Messi to the top of the scoring charts at the 2026 World Cup with five goals in two matches. He entered the contest after scoring a hat trick against Algeria in Argentina’s tournament opener.
Despite his heroics, the match began on a frustrating note for Messi, who missed a penalty in the sixth minute after a VAR review awarded Argentina a spot kick.
Austria responded with an energetic performance and pressured the defending champions throughout much of the first half.
Argentina eventually broke through in the 38th minute when Thiago Almada’s clever dummy allowed the ball to run to Messi, who calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner.
Austria continued to threaten after halftime, but Argentina maintained control through a series of substitutions by head coach Lionel Scaloni, who introduced Julián Álvarez and Nicolás González to add fresh energy as the game opened up.
With Austria pushing forward in search of an equalizer, Argentina struck again in the 95th minute. Messi led a rapid counterattack and finished clinically to complete his brace and secure the 2-0 win.
The goals also extended Messi’s scoring streak to six consecutive World Cup matches, equaling the tournament record jointly held by France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.
The victory lifted Argentina to the top of Group J with six points from two matches and secured the defending champions a place in the Round of 32.
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