Messi breaks World Cup record but faces risk of losing his crown
Lionel Messi becomes absolute World Cup record holder (photo: x.com/FIFAWorldCup)
RBC-Ukraine рассказывает about the legend’s path to the record and who could catch him.
Historic achievement by Messi
The Argentine moved past German Miroslav Klose (16 goals), who had held the lead for 12 years.
Before the start of the 2026 World Cup, Messi had 13 goals and was tied for fifth place with French forward Just Fontaine.
However, a hat-trick already in the first match of the World Cup against Algeria (3:0) allowed the Argentine to catch the historical leader. And the brace against Austria made him the absolute record holder.
As of now, the list of the best scorers in World Cup history looks as follows:
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 18 goals (28 matches)
Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 (24)
Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 (19)
Gerd Müller (FRG) – 14 (13)
Kylian Mbappé (France) – 14 (15)
Chronology of the scoring journey
The path of the Argentine captain to the current peak of glory lasted two decades and included both triumphant and frankly dry tournaments:
Bright start (2006 World Cup): Messi scored his first World Cup goal in his very first tournament appearance. The young forward came on as a substitute against Serbia and Montenegro, scored a goal and provided an assist, and Argentina crushed the opponent 6–0.
Goal drought in South Africa (2010 World Cup): The only World Cup in Messi’s career where he did not score at all. Under Diego Maradona, “La Albiceleste” were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage, while the team’s leader finished the tournament with just one assist.
Setback at the 2018 World Cup: A very difficult tournament for Argentina, which ended in the Round of 16 with a 3–4 loss to eventual champions France. The captain played all 4 matches, recording 1 goal and 2 assists.
Qatar peak (2022 World Cup): The most productive tournament for the forward was the World Cup won by Argentina. On the way to lifting the trophy, Messi scored 7 goals.
Leadership at the 2026 World Cup: At the current North American tournament, the 38-year-old forward is showing incredible efficiency. With 5 goals in two matches, Messi leads the scoring race, bringing his historic total to 18 goals.
Lionel Messi becomes absolute World Cup record holder (photo: x.com/FIFAWorldCup)
Who can break Leo’s achievement?
The main intrigue of the record is that Messi may not hold the king status even until the end of the ongoing 2026 World Cup. And in the historical perspective, the chances of the main and currently only competitor are even better. Of course, this is Kylian Mbappé.
The situation looks threatening for the Argentine if we look at the numbers:
Age factor: Messi set the record at 38 years old in his sixth World Cup (28 matches). Mbappé already has 14 goals at the age of 27 and is playing only his third World Cup (15 matches).
Current form: The Frenchman has already entered the top 5 all-time World Cup scorers thanks to a brace in the opening match against Senegal (3:1).
Gap: Mbappé is 4 goals behind Messi. Considering the attacking potential of the French national team, Kylian is capable of catching up or even overtaking Leo before the end of the current tournament.
