1 of 5 | Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) celebrates with teammate Enzo Fernandez after scoring a goal against Austria at the 2026 World Cup on Monday in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
June 22 (UPI) -- Argentina's Lionel Messi scored twice against Austrian goalie Alexander Schlager on Monday to set a record for the most goals ever scored by a man or woman at the World Cup with 18.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner found the net in the 38th minute and completed his brace in stoppage time of the 2-0 Group J victory in Arlington, Texas.
With his first goal, Messi became the top scorer in the history of the men's World Cup, passing Germany's Miroslov Klose. With his second goal, he passed Brazil's Marta for the overall World Cup goals mark. Marta owns the women's goals record, with 17.
Messi, who tied Klose's previous record total with a hat trick in Argentina's win Tuesday over Algeria, scored five times through his first two matches at the 2026 tournament.
