Lionel Messi made World Cup history on Monday when he broke Miroslav Klose’s all-time goal scoring record.
The Argentinian maestro delivered another masterpiece in La Albiceleste’s 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas Stadium, reminding the soccer world why he remains the sport’s most magnetic figure.
And yet, when the final whistle blew and reporters asked him for his thoughts and feelings on breaking the record and if it was his favorite World Cup goal, or how many more goals he might score in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi delivered an incredibly humbling response.
“I am tired now, I’m not thinking about that,” Messi told Fox Sports in Spanish. “I just want to enjoy the win with my teammates. We’ve already given people many moments of joy, but we’ll try to give them even more.”
Typical Messi.
The milestone itself came with a twist. Entering Argentina’s Group Stage clash against Austria tied with Klose on 16 World Cup goals, Messi appeared poised to make history early when Argentina earned a penalty kick. Instead, he blasted the opportunity away, leaving the crowd stunned and Austria believing, if only briefly, that fate might delay the inevitable.
It didn’t.
In the 38th minute, Messi found space inside the box and calmly buried a left-footed finish for goal No. 17, passing Klose and claiming sole possession of the most coveted scoring record in World Cup history.
Then came the exclamation point.
Deep into stoppage time, with Austria chasing desperately, Messi danced through a maze of defenders, slipped past the goalkeeper and converted his own rebound for goal No. 18. It was vintage Messi.
His 18th goal passed Brazil’s Marta for the most goals, man or woman, in World Cup history, and was just another milestone on the long list of World Cup records Messi holds.
Messi extended his record for most World Cup matches played with 28. He won his 18th World Cup game, passing Klose. Finally, he extended his own record of the most minutes played in World Cup history with 2,489.
But after the match, Messi was still bothered by his missed penalty.
He acknowledged the miss may have cost Argentina additional goals and personally left him frustrated. Then, with a grin, he recognized soccer’s strange sense of humor. Had he converted the penalty, perhaps the two goals that followed never would have happened.
“There are moments where he looks human. Like when he missed the penalty,” said former Messi teammate at Barcelona Zlatan Ibrahimović after the game on the FOX broadcast. “And then there are moments where he doesn’t look human. This is his World Cup.”
The respect poured in immediately. Klose, now managing Nuremberg, offered perhaps the ultimate endorsement.
“For me, Lionel Messi is the best of all time,” Klose told Süddeutsche Zeitung. “Congratulations, champ!”
The celebration extended far beyond Argentina. In fan zones, sports bars and living rooms across the globe, supporters erupted when the record fell. That is Messi’s unique power. Few athletes transcend nationality. Fewer still unite neutral fans.
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