Lionel Messi Sets New World Cup Scoring Record

In Arlington, Texas, Lionel Messi achieved a historic milestone by breaking the World Cup scoring record. During Argentina’s match against Austria, Messi scored his 17th goal, surpassing the previous record. This significant moment occurred in the 38th minute, securing a 1-0 lead for the defending champions and happening just days before Messi’s 39th birthday. The record became more poignant considering Messi was dealing with the illness of his father back home.

This goal marked Messi’s sixth consecutive World Cup game with a goal. He joined the ranks of France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho as the only players to achieve this feat. Previously, Messi had matched Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record of 16 goals. This was achieved during Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria with Messi’s first hat trick of the tournament.

The record was officially Messi’s after he deftly placed the ball in the net past Austria’s goalkeeper, Alexander Schlager. The play unfolded when Thiago Almada allowed Facundo Medina’s pass to find Messi’s left foot, resulting in the historic goal. Messi celebrated with the pro-Argentina crowd of 70,649 fans at the sold-out NFL Dallas Cowboys stadium.

Earlier in the match, fans witnessed Messi miss a penalty kick in the ninth minute. This miss added to his track record in World Cup penalty kicks, where he now holds a record of 4 out of 7 successful attempts over three tournaments.

In an interview prior to this event, Miroslav Klose anticipated Messi breaking his scoring record. Klose acknowledged the expanded teams and increased opportunities to score in current tournaments. He expressed admiration for Messi and fondly accepted the prospect of Messi shattering the record.

Messi’s achievement came during his sixth World Cup. With this game, he marked his FIFA-record 28th appearance in the tournament. His international career counts 200 matches, with this latest goal being particularly emotional. The penalty kick followed a foul on Lautaro Martinez in the box, leading to an official review after a tackle by Austria’s defenders.

In other personal news, Messi’s father is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness. Jorge Messi has been a pivotal figure in his son’s career, handling both his career and business interests. After scoring against Algeria, Messi expressed the emotion of his recent challenges, unrelated to soccer.