Messi breaks four WC records in one night

Lionel Messi has broken four records in one World Cup (WC) 2026 match against Austria on Monday at the Dallas Stadium.

Dominant Argentina side secured their second consecutive victory at the World Cup, defeating Austria 2-0 to confirm their place in the Round of 32.

The decisive moment arrived in the 38th minute when Messi broke the deadlock, capping a lively first half in which Argentina had earlier missed a penalty and created several clear-cut opportunities.

The defending champions’ skipper made history with the goal, becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in the FIFA World Cup.

A long-standing record was held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Messi was previously tied with him on 16 goals.

Lionel scored a hat-trick in his first World Cup 2026 match against Algeria and struck again in the second match to become the highest goal scorer with 17 goals in 28 matches.

Messi struck again in the stoppage time to make 18 goals in 28 World Cup matches.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old also joined an elite list of players to score in consecutive FIFA World Cup matches.

He joined the likes of France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho, having scored in six straight matches, becoming the first Argentinian player to achieve the landmark. Messi has broken several other records as well, which include most matches played in by an individual, most matches (18) won by a player and most minutes played in the FIFA World Cup, 2,489 minutes.