Lionel Messi becomes top scorer in FIFA World Cup history with goal against Austria | Other Sports News

Lionel Messi officially become the all-time leading men’s goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, netting his historic 17th tournament goal during Argentina’s Group J clash against Austria on Monday, June 22. With this milestone strike, Messi broke his tie with Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who held the record of 16 goals for over a decade.

The historic moment arrived in the 38th minute at Dallas Stadium, but the path to rewriting the history books wasn’t without drama. Just eight minutes into the first half, Argentina was awarded a penalty after a VAR review.

Messi stepped up to take the spot-kick, but uncharacteristically scuffed the effort wide to the right of the post. The missed penalty only delayed the inevitable.

Ten minutes before the halftime whistle, Messi made amends in trademark fashion. Capitalizing on a cross delivered into the box, he slipped past the Austrian defense and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to fire Argentina into a 1-0 lead.

Top 10 goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history:

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

World Cups: Six – 2006 (one goal), 2010 (no goals), 2014 (four goals), 2018 (one goal), 2022 (seven goals), 2026 (four goals to date)

2. Miroslav Klose (Germany)

World Cups: Four – 2002 (five goals), 2006 (five goals), 2010 (four goals), 2014 (two goals)
Matches played: 24

Goals: 15
World Cups: Four – 1994 (no goals), 1998 (four goals), 2002 (eight goals), 2006 (three goals)
Matches played: 19

4. Gerd Muller (West Germany)

Goals: 14
World Cups: Two – 1970 (10 goals), 1974 (four goals)
Matches played: 13

5. Kylian Mbappe (France)

Goals: 14
World Cups: Three – 2018 (four goals), 2022 (eight goals), 2026 (two goals to date)
Matches played: 15

6. Just Fontaine (France)

Goals: 13
World Cups: One – 1958
Matches played: Six

Goals: 12
World Cups: Four – 1958 (six goals), 1962 (one goal), 1966 (one goal), 1970 (four goals)
Matches played: 14

8. Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany)

Goals: 11
World Cups: Three – 1990 (three goals), 1994 (five goals), 1998 (three goals)
Matches played: 17

9. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)

Goals: 11
World Cups: One – 1954
Matches played: Five

10. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

World Cups: Three – 1994 (four goals), 1998 (five goals), 2002 (one goal)

Messi also became only the third player in tournament history to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France’s Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil’s Jairzinho (1970).

Argentina currently leads Austria 1-0 as the second half gets underway, looking to build on their advantage and cement their dominance in Group J.