The Argentine star passed Miroslav Klose with a first-half goal against Austria, reaching the milestone two days before his 39th birthday, while Kylian Mbappe trails close behind with 14ynet|Lionel Messi keeps breaking records. The goal he scored Monday evening against Austria made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.It was Messi’s 17th goal in the tournament, moving him past Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who had held the prestigious record for the past 16 years.1 View gallery (Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)The match began with a missed penalty by Messi, but the historic moment arrived in the 38th minute, when he gave Argentina a 1-0 lead and claimed the record for himself.Messi reached the milestone in his 201st appearance for Argentina, two days before his 39th birthday. His journey toward the record began at the 2006 World Cup, when he was still a 19-year-old prodigy. Coming off the bench, he scored his first World Cup goal in Argentina’s 6-0 rout of Serbia and Montenegro.Four years later, at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under the legendary Diego Maradona, Messi was already Argentina’s leader. But despite an eventful tournament for the team, bad luck kept him from finding the net, and the Albiceleste were eliminated in the quarterfinals.His correction began in Brazil in 2014, where he carried Argentina with four decisive goals all the way to the final at the Maracana. That tournament ended in heartbreak and tears against Germany in extra time.At Russia 2018, Messi endured a difficult World Cup with an unsettled Argentina side that was eliminated in the round of 16. He finished with one goal, against Nigeria in the group stage.The true peak came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in what is widely considered the greatest tournament of his career. Messi dazzled throughout, scored seven goals, including an unforgettable brace in the wild final against France, and lifted the golden trophy, the only title missing from his case for being the greatest player in history.Diego Maradona finished his World Cup career with eight goals. Messi’s great rival Cristiano Ronaldo also has eight.The latest achievement joins another historic milestone Messi set recently, when his hat trick in Argentina’s win over Algeria made him the first footballer in history to appear in multiple World Cups across different editions. Ronaldo joined him in that distinction a few days later, in what may be the final World Cup for both of them.In the current tournament, Messi’s pace appears only to be increasing. With four goals already in the early stages, he has made clear he is not slowing down. He now stands alone at the top of the World Cup’s all-time scoring list.But the record may not be safe for long. Kylian Mbappe is behind him with 14 goals after scoring twice in France’s opening match against Senegal. More importantly, Mbappe is only 27, meaning he likely has at least one more World Cup ahead of him.For now, however, the summit belongs to Messi alone.