Messi breaks men’s World Cup scoring record with 17th goal

Lionel Messi scored his record-breaking 17th men’s World Cup goal Monday to give Argentina a 1-0 lead over Austria in Arlington, Texas.wral
Messi had missed a penalty in the ninth minute that would have broken the record sooner, with his left-footed shot going just wide of the post.wral
The 38-year-old tied Klose’s record last week with a hat trick against Algeria and now also matches Marta’s all-time World Cup mark of 17 goals.espn

Messi Breaks All-Time Men’s World Cup Scoring Record With 17th Goal

Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history on Monday, netting his 17th tournament goal in the 38th minute of Argentina’s Group J match against Austria at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — just minutes after missing a penalty that would have given him the record even sooner.wral

The 38-year-old captain’s left-footed penalty attempt in the ninth minute, awarded after a video review, went just wide of the right post, momentarily leaving him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose at 16 goals. But the miss proved only a brief delay. Messi found the net from open play later in the first half to give Argentina a 1-0 lead and claim sole possession of a record that had stood since Klose’s final World Cup goal at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.pressdemocrat

A Record Week in Texas

The milestone capped a remarkable stretch for Messi, who had tied Klose’s mark the previous week with a hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City on June 16 — his first match at a record sixth World Cup. That performance made him the oldest player to score a hat trick at a World Cup and marked 20 years to the day since his first tournament goal against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.aljazeera

The goal against Austria came two days before Messi’s 39th birthday, according to the Associated Press. It also drew him level with Brazil’s Marta, who holds the record for most goals scored across all FIFA World Cups — men’s and women’s combined — with 17.facebook

Klose Offers His Blessing

Klose, whose 16-goal haul across four World Cups from 2002 to 2014 had seemed an untouchable benchmark, said last week he was at peace with Messi surpassing him. “There’s no one better to break the record,” the German legend said after Messi equaled his mark against Algeria.bavarianfootballworks

Argentina, the defending 2022 champions, entered the Austria match needing a result to move closer to securing passage from Group J into the round of 32.nytimes