Messi has now beaten the record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who netted 16 goals in the World Cup
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/lionel-messi-argentina-austria-world-cup-062326-3-7a186393de024ab28a0a7ec0f375e727.jpg "Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates his second goal during the group J match between Argentina and Austria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium in Dallas, the United States, June 22, 2026.")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Lionel Messi broke the World Cup career goals record with 18 goals after scoring twice in the game between Argentina and Austria
- His wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three sons supported him at the match in Kansas City
- Messi became emotional during an earlier game in the tournament and later revealed he had been dealing with personal challenges unrelated to soccer
Lionel Messi is making history!
The Argentine soccer star, 38, has broken a record for career goals at the World Cup, scoring his 17th and 18th goals against Austria on Monday, June 22.
Messi started the game tied for the all-time lead with Germany's Miroslav Klose and scored the record goal in the 38th minute. He had the chance to break the record much earlier in the game, but he missed a penalty kick in the ninth minute.
During stoppage time in the second half, the Inter Miami star added to his record, scoring his fifth goal of the tournament to give Argentina a 2-0 win.
Credit: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty
After the game, Messi described breaking the record as "special," per The Guardian.
He continued, “Like I've said other times, I enjoy playing, having a good time on the pitch. I wasn't necessarily having one on the penalty, but with luck we were able to work through that situation, take the advantage and leave with three points."
Messi wouldn't be drawn on his favorite of the 18 World Cup goals. “I can't recall right now, I'm tired, low on energy, and finding it hard to think,” he said, laughing, as noted by The Guardian.
It is a big week for the sports star who also turns 39 on Wednesday. He started this World Cup with 13 career goals across five World Cup tournaments, but in Argentina's opening game against Algeria, he netted a hat trick, bringing him level with Klose's record of 16 before he set the new mark on Monday.
Credit: JEFFREY MCWHORTER/EPA/Shutterstock
After becoming visibly emotional during the game, Messi later explained that he cried because of “something totally unrelated to football [soccer].”
“I went through some difficult days," Messi said, after he was seen using the front of his white-and-blue jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes at Kansas City Stadium.
"But I'm grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it," the soccer legend — who is playing in his sixth World Cup — added, although he declined to go into further details about his upset.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the game that he was "at a loss for words about Leo," per ESPN.
“He's incredible,” he added.
Messi was supported by his family during the matchup in Kansas City, including his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
Credit: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty
Messi and Roccuzzo were childhood friends and later reconnected in 2005, welcoming Thiago in 2012. Mateo then arrived in 2015, followed by Ciro, in 2018.
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Back in 2017, the athlete opened up to FC Barcelona about how fatherhood had changed his perspective.
"You grow and you learn," he said of becoming a dad. "You gather experience in all aspects of life, on and off the field. But, as a human being, having three children changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it also helped me grow."