▲ Lionel Messi
Every step taken by the unstoppable "God of Football" has invariably written a new chapter in the history of world football.
Argentina national football team superstar Lionel Messi (38, Inter Miami) has reached unprecedented heights, scoring his 17th and 18th career World Cup goals in what could be his final and sixth World Cup appearance.
Messi scored a brace against Austria in the second match of Group J in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, held at Dallas Stadium in Texas, U.S., on June 23 (Korean time), surpassing Miroslav Klose (Germany, 16 goals) to become the sole all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history.
Messi suffered from a jinx of missing penalties in three consecutive tournaments after failing to convert a penalty kick in the 9th minute of the first half.
However, he made up for his mistake by netting the opening goal (his 17th World Cup goal) in the 38th minute of the first half.
He then sealed the victory with his 18th goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, just before the final whistle.
He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches.
The goals also served as a self-celebration as he extended his own record for the most appearances in the tournament to 28 matches.
This historic milestone is the culmination of Messi's 21 years of dedication to his national team.
Making his international debut at the age of 18 in a friendly match against Hungary in August 2005, Messi endured a harsh initiation, being sent off just two minutes after coming on as a substitute.
The following year, he seemed poised for a spectacular rise after scoring his debut World Cup goal in a 6-0 group stage victory against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but his path to the top of the world was not smooth.
After bowing out without a goal (one assist) at the 2010 South Africa tournament (eliminated in the quarterfinals), Messi suffered the heartbreak of finishing as runner-up in the 2014 Brazil tournament (four goals, one assist) and exiting in the round of 16 in the 2018 Russia tournament (one goal, two assists) despite his hard-fought efforts.
At the time, while he swept up trophies with his club FC Barcelona (Spain), he faced criticism from fans in his home country for failing to deliver expected results in major tournaments with the national team.
The stage where he overcame these trials was the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Leading Argentina to victory with an overwhelming performance of seven goals and three assists, Messi fulfilled his long-held dream and firmly secured the title of "GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)."
Having achieved his ultimate goal, Messi defied retirement expectations to step onto his sixth World Cup stage.
Dispelling public concerns that his physical prime had passed, he perfectly proved he is still at the top of his game with unwavering, dominant skills.
Following a hat-trick in the first group stage match against Algeria (a 3-0 win) that brought his total World Cup attacking points to 24 (16 goals, 8 assists)—breaking the record for the most World Cup attacking points held by the "King of Football" Pelé (Brazil, 21 points)—Messi went on to claim the title of sole all-time leading goalscorer on this day.
Behind the historic milestone achieved just two days before his 39th birthday lies a hidden personal pain.
Recent news of the illness of his father and agent, Jorge Messi (68), who has been a strong supporter, has weighed heavily on Messi's mind.
Right after the first match, he wiped away tears, saying, "I've had a difficult few days, unrelated to football," showing the human side of Messi, who grieves over his family's pain off the pitch.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.