Lionel Messi made history on Monday June 22 by scoring his 17th goal in the World Cup.
This makes him the top scorer in men’s World Cup history, breaking the record previously held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
The moment arrived in the 38th minute of the round of 16 between Argentina and Austria at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. After failing to convert an earlier penalty that would have made him the record holder, the ever-resilient Messi once again showed his genius by firing past Alex Schlager to put Argentina 1-0 ahead.
Not only was it an important goal for the Argentine team, but it was also a remarkable achievement for the 38-year-old icon.
With this, Messi became the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches. Previously, legendary players like Frenchman Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazilian Jairzinho (1970) were on the list.
Along with this goal, it took his international goal tally to 121 goals in 201 appearances, and Austria are now the 42nd country he has scored against.
It was a nervous start to the match for Messi as his penalty in the seventh minute was saved by Schlager when Argentina won a penalty. This puts him level with Klose on 16 goals, and many fans are wondering if he will fail to reach his goal.
However, Messi turned out to be one of the best football players as always and scored the goal. His spectacular touch helped Lautaro Martinez score the goal.
