Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo now stand alone in football history. They are the only two players to have scored in five different FIFA World Cups.
Ronaldo got there first, netting against Ghana during the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Messi joined the club on June 17, 2026, with a hat-trick against Algeria that brought his career World Cup tally to 16 goals, tying Ronaldo’s total.
A milestone decades in the making
Scoring in five World Cups means maintaining elite-level performance across a span of at least 16 years. Most professional footballers are lucky to make two or three squads.
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