Lionel Messi has scored his 15th World Cup goal, pulling level with Ronaldo Nazario for second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list. The Brazilian legend’s mark of 15 goals, set across the 1998, 2002, and 2006 tournaments, had stood unchallenged for nearly two decades.
Only Miroslav Klose, with 16 World Cup goals, now sits above Messi on the all-time list.
The path to 15
Messi’s breakthrough tournament was the 2022 edition in Qatar, where he scored 7 goals en route to finally lifting the trophy that had eluded him for his entire career.
Ronaldo Nazario’s 15th goal came in the 2006 Round of 16, capping a three-tournament run that cemented the Brazilian striker as one of the greatest pure scorers in World Cup history. His 8-goal haul at the 2002 tournament, where Brazil won the title, remains one of the most dominant individual performances in the competition’s history.
