For a brief moment, Lionel Messi looked mortal. The Argentina captain missed an eighth-minute penalty against Austria, passing up the chance to move clear of Miroslav Klose as the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer and instead setting an unwanted record for the most penalties missed in World Cup matches since detailed tournament records began being tracked in 1966. Yet, as he has done throughout his extraordinary career, Messi quickly reminded the world why he is regarded as one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. Less than half an hour later, Messi found the breakthrough for Argentina, scoring his 17th World Cup goal to claim sole ownership of one of football’s most prestigious records.
The historic moment arrived in the 38th minute of Argentina’s Group J clash against Austria at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Fittingly, Messi was involved from start to finish. The 38-year-old dropped deeper to evade Austria’s compact midfield block and helped initiate the attack by picking up possession and spreading the play out wide.
The move gathered pace down the left flank, where Facundo Medina surged into the final third and delivered a low cross into the penalty area. Messi timed his run perfectly, arriving unmarked inside the box to meet Medina’s delivery with a first-time left-footed finish into the bottom corner beyond goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
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The strike handed Argentina a 1-0 lead and secured Messi’s place alone at the summit of World Cup goalscoring history. Having entered the match level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose on 16 goals, Messi’s finish took him to 17 World Cup goals, the most by any player in the history of the men’s tournament.
The goal also added another remarkable chapter to Messi’s World Cup legacy. By scoring against Austria, he became only the third player in history to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho. His scoring streak stretches back to the Round of 16 at the 2022 tournament and now extends into Argentina’s second match of the 2026 campaign.
Messi’s strike was also his fourth goal of the ongoing World Cup, following the hat-trick he scored against Algeria in Argentina’s opening fixture. This early scoring burst has strengthened his position among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot while helping the defending champions move closer to securing qualification for the knockout stages.
For a player who had just set an unwanted record for the most penalties missed in World Cup matches, the response could hardly have been more fitting. Within the space of half an hour, Messi went from frustration to football immortality, once again showing how why the World Cup continues to provide some of the most defining moments of his career.
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