Lionel Messi found the back of the net in the 16th minute for Argentina, recording what would be his 14th career FIFA World Cup goal. The strike extends an already historic run across five consecutive World Cup tournaments for the player widely considered the greatest of all time.
A career built across five tournaments
Messi entered the 2026 World Cup with 13 goals spread across four previous tournaments. The breakdown tells a story of its own: one goal in 2006 as a teenager, four in 2014 when he dragged Argentina to the final, one in a disappointing 2018 campaign, and seven in 2022 when he finally lifted the trophy in Qatar.
His 13 goals entering the tournament already placed him among the top World Cup scorers in history. The all-time record belongs to Miroslav Klose with 16, scored across four World Cups for Germany.
Argentina’s 2026 World Cup campaign
