The 18 goals that made Messi eternal
With his goal against Austria, the Argentine reached 18 World Cup goals and surpassed Miroslav Klose to become the leading scorer in the history of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi no longer chases history. Now he writes it.
With his brace against Austria, Argentina’s captain reached 18 World Cup goals, surpassing the 16 that had kept Miroslav Klose at the top of international football’s biggest stage for more than a decade.
At 38, Messi has once again broken a barrier that seemed untouchable, adding another chapter to a once-in-a-generation career.
If those 18 World Cup goals define his legacy, the way he scored them may be just as revealing. Messi did not need variety to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. According to Opta, none of his World Cup goals have come from headers. Of his 18 goals, 14 have been scored with his left foot and 4 with his right. It is a distribution that reflects a career built on precision rather than physical dominance.
Messi has never scored a header at the World Cup, yet across six editions of the tournament he has consistently used his close control, balance and finishing ability to unlock defences.
The 18 goals of a legend
- vs Serbia and Montenegro, 88′ (1) - Germany 2006
- vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, 64′ (1) - Brazil 2014
- vs Iran, 90+1′ (1) - Brazil 2014
- vs Nigeria, 3′ (1) - Brazil 2014
- vs Nigeria, 45′ (1) - Brazil 2014
- vs Nigeria, 14′ (1) - Russia 2018
- vs Saudi Arabia, 10′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs Mexico, 64′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs Australia, 35′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs Netherlands, 73′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs Croatia, 34′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs France, 23′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs France, 107′ (1) - Qatar 2022
- vs Algeria, 17′ (1) - United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
- vs Algeria, 60′ (1) - United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
- vs Algeria, 76′ (1) - United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
- vs Austria, 38′ (1) - United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
- vs Austria, 94′ (1) - United States, Mexico and Canada 2026
In addition, Messi became the first player ever to appear in six different World Cups, a record that may prove difficult to match for many years.
Argentina are already on course for the knockout stage, and Messi is enjoying one of the most prolific starts to a World Cup campaign of his career. With five goals in just two matches, he currently leads the race for the Golden Boot.
Every match from this point forward offers another opportunity to extend a record that already belongs to him. The number 18 seemed impossible only a few years ago.
Today, it is reality. And no one knows where the final tally will end.
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