Sam Dean
Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history when he converted his 17th and 18th goals in the tournament to give Argentina a 2-0 victory over Austria in Dallas.
Messi’s first-half strike took him to 17 goals in 28 World Cup appearances, one clear of legendary German forward Miroslav Klose. He then added a second in stoppage time, at the end of a counter-attack that he had orchestrated himself.
Messi’s goals have been scored in five different tournaments, beginning with a strike against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Here, we rank all 18 of them.
18. Saudi Arabia 2 Argentina 1, 2022
Group stage: Perhaps Messi’s least consequential World Cup goal. His penalty gave Argentina the lead against Saudi Arabia in Qatar, but the South Americans went on to suffer a surprise defeat. It was one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
17. Argentina 2, Netherlands 2 (Argentina win on penalties), 2022
Quarter-final: In a dramatic and bad-tempered quarter-final against the Netherlands, Messi created Argentina’s first goal by assisting Nauel Molina, and then scored his team’s second from the penalty spot.
16. Argentina 3 Nigeria 2, 2014
Group stage: Messi was the quickest to react when the ball bounced around Nigeria’s penalty area. Angel Di Maria’s low shot had struck a post, and Messi raced on to the rebound before lashing it into the roof of the net from close range.
15. Argentina 3 Croatia 0, 2022
Semi-final: In another sparkling performance, Messi struck from the spot after Julián Alvarez had been fouled by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
14. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Messi’s second goal of Argentina’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup. This was a simple finish, converted calmly with his right foot after Alexis Mac Allister’s shot from distance had been spilt.
13. Argentina 3 France 3 (Argentina win on penalties), 2022
Final: Messi’s long pursuit of World Cup glory came to a joyful end in the 2022 final against France. His 23rd-minute penalty gave Argentina the lead and was surely the most high-pressure spot kick he had ever taken.
12. Argentina 3 France 3 (Argentina win on penalties), 2022
Final: After the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe dragged the World Cup final into extra time, Messi struck again in the 108th minute of the match. This was a huge goal in the biggest game of his life, but it was essentially a scruffy rebound after France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had failed to hold on to Lautaro Martinez’s shot.
11. Argentina 2 Austria 0, 2026
Group stage: In the final moments of the group game against Austria, Messi charged down the right wing to create a chance for Alvarez. The ball then came his way in the penalty area. At the second time of asking, he drilled it through the bodies and into the net.
10. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Messi completed his first World Cup hat-trick with a powerful, low shot from the edge of the penalty area against Algeria. It was yet another of those curling efforts that started outside the post but bent on target at the final moment.
9. Argentina 2 Austria 0, 2026
Group stage: At 38 years old, Messi became the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer when he side-footed Argentina into the lead against Austria. Messi had lurked outside the box as Argentina attacked, but this gave him the space to run on to the ball when it was cut back by Facundo Medina. He was helped by a lovely dummy by Thiago Almada.
8. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Algeria were in trouble from the moment Messi received possession between their lines, in the centre of the pitch. Striding forward into space, Messi powered his finish into the top corner via a touch from goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of France legend Zinedine.
7. Argentina 6 Serbia and Montenegro 0, 2006
Group stage: On his World Cup debut at the age of 18, Messi raced behind the Serbian defence and fired home a low finish. The build-up was lovely, as three iconic Argentina players combined to set him up. Juan Roman Riquelme fired the ball into Carlos Tevez, who exchanged passes with Hernan Crespo before assisting Messi.
6. Argentina 2 Australia 1, 2022
Round of 16: Messi’s first goal in the World Cup knockout stages was a typically composed strike, caressed low into the far corner with his left foot after some characteristic close control. It helped Argentina to a narrow victory over Australia.
5. Argentina 3 Nigeria 2, 2014
Group stage: A fabulous free-kick for his second goal of the game, typical of Messi. From the right side of the pitch, he curled the ball over Nigeria’s wall with such accuracy that the goalkeeper did not even dive.
4. Argentina 2 Mexico 0, 2022
Group stage: With the pressure on after a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia in their opening game, Messi once again produced the moment of magic that Argentina needed. He received possession on the edge of the penalty box and drilled a low effort across goal, into the bottom corner.
3. Argentina 1 Iran 0, 2014
Group stage: Argentina had struggled badly to break down a stubborn Iranian defence, but Messi made the difference right at the end of the game. In stoppage time, he received the ball on the edge of the box, shifted it onto his left foot and curled a fabulous strike into the corner from range.
2. Argentina 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1, 2014
Group stage: Messi drove forward from the base of midfield, swapped passes with Gonzalo Higuain and produced a trademark curling finish, in off a post, after skipping beyond two Bosnia defenders on the edge of the box. The dribble was so effective that the two Bosnia players ended up clattering each other rather than Messi.
1. Argentina 2 Nigeria 1, 2018
Group stage: A sublime pass, a glorious piece of control and then an emphatic finish. This was a stunning goal on a collective and individual level. Éver Banega produced a glorious, faded assist with his pass over the top, allowing Messi to collect the ball on his thigh, control it with his left foot and then find the net with his right.
Telegraph, London
