Messi Sets All-Time World Cup Goals Record at 39
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- Lionel Messi turns 39 on Wednesday and leads the 2026 World Cup scoring charts outright with five goals in two group-stage games — a hat-trick against Algeria followed by two against Austria — surpassing Miroslav Klose's previous record.
- Messi needs just two more goals to match his 2022 Qatar total, the tournament where he led Argentina to the title, and is playing in a record sixth World Cup edition.
- Sky Sports' World Cup power rankings name Messi the tournament's statistically best-performing player, placing him in the 96th percentile or higher among forwards and midfielders for non-penalty expected goals, shots, and passes into the final third.
- Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has built the defending champions' system around conserving Messi's energy: Messi covers 7.8km per 90 minutes — the lowest of any midfielder or forward at the tournament — with Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, and Lautaro Martinez absorbing the defensive work.
- Messi has scored 13 of his 18 career World Cup goals since turning 30, double his tally across his first four tournaments combined; his first World Cup goal came as an 18-year-old substitute in a 6-0 win over Serbia in 2006.
- Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland trail Messi on four goals apiece, while Cristiano Ronaldo sits on two; Argentina have already qualified for the knockouts as Group J winners.
Why it matters: With Argentina already through to the knockouts and a longer knockout path in the expanded 48-team format, Messi has more games available to extend a record he now holds outright — and Scaloni's low-mileage tactical design means the holders' title defense is being routed through a 39-year-old who ranks dead last among tournament forwards and midfielders for distance covered per 90 minutes.
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