Argentina captain Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into football history after becoming the highest scoring player in FIFA World Cup history, leading his side to a 2-0 victory over Austria with a match winning brace.
The News Chronicle reports that the Argentine star raised his World Cup total to 18 goals, beating former Germany striker Miroslav Klose and establishing a fresh record in the annals of the competition.
Messi also set new marks for most appearances, most victories, and most minutes played at the international event in this historic performance. Opening the scoring before adding a late second goal in the game to guarantee Argentina’s trip to the knockout stage, the 39-year-old reacted in flair after missing an early penalty.
Messi’s most recent accomplishment follows a hat trick in Argentina’s first victory over Algeria, which tied him with Klose’s decades-long record. Almost two decades after scoring his first World Cup goal in 2006, the Argentine great has now scored in six straight World Cup games and still shows up on the biggest stage.
With 121 goals for Argentina, Messi is still among the most famous players in football and every game he plays he changes what it means to be great.
