Messi becomes World Cup all-time leading scorer - how has he stayed at the top?

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Messi becomes World Cup all-time leading scorer - how has he stayed at the top? Figure caption, All of Messi's record-breaking 17 World Cup goalsByDaniel AustinBBC Sport senior journalistPublished22 June 2026, 19:32 BSTUpdated 52 minutes agoWhen Lionel Messi swept home a trademark left-footed curler in Argentina's second World Cup match against Austria, he was not just getting his team off to a strong start. The 38-year-old was also making history, becoming the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, and demonstrating that he still lays claim to being the king of world football.

And there was more to come as Messi fired home his second goal of the game from a tight angle past two Austria defenders to wrap up a 2-0 victory. Messi is enjoying a scintillating start to the tournament as Argentina defend their title. With a hat-trick in the opening game, two goals and the record broken in the second, and a third game against Jordan to come, he is a strong contender for the Golden Boot, awarded to the top goalscorer at the finals - one individual prize he has never won.

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Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, a feat only achieved by two other players - France's Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970. No player has ever scored in seven straight matches. The Inter Miami forward has also created the most chances in World Cup history - he is one assist away from providing more than any other player since records began in 1966, according to Opta.

He currently shares that record with his idol, Maradona. A new generation of superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr may already be making their own marks on the tournament, but if they want to claim the crown, they are going to have to outperform Messi. So how exactly can Messi - who turns 39 on Wednesday and has been playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) for three years - still be delivering rampant, raucous performances on the biggest stage of all?

Figure caption, Messi becomes all-time leading World Cup scorer'I didn't think Messi could still do it'When Messi - then aged 31 - and Argentina were knocked out by France in a seven-goal classic in Russia in 2018, the days of him delivering tournament-defining performances in the World Cup could have been over. But four years later he captained his country to the trophy in Qatar, scoring seven goals, and after a further four he has become the first ever player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches. Olivier Giroud was part of the France side which went on to win that 2018 edition, and still playing in Ligue 1 himself at 39, can relate to Messi's situation and believes a player's competition with himself is more important than thinking about the younger generation.

"It's clear just how passionate Messi still is for football and you can tell it's in his DNA to always be a competitor, and to try and outdo himself more than anyone else," Giroud says.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.