Lionel Messi arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with little left to prove, having already won every major honour in football, including the World Cup, Copa América, eight Ballon d’Or awards and countless individual records. Yet, at 39, the Argentine captain has continued to redefine longevity and greatness, adding……
Lionel Messi arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with little left to prove, having already won every major honour in football, including the World Cup, Copa América, eight Ballon d’Or awards and countless individual records. Yet, at 39, the Argentine captain has continued to redefine longevity and greatness, adding another remarkable chapter to his legendary career on football’s biggest stage.
Despite being used more selectively by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, Messi has remained as influential as ever. His goal against Jordan in Argentina’s final Group J match not only secured another victory for the defending champions but also saw him rewrite the FIFA World Cup record books once again. Here is the complete list of records Messi has broken at the 2026 tournament.
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1. Most goals in FIFA World Cup history (men’s) – 19 goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s 16. He broke the record against Austria and extended it against Jordan.
2. First player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches – Set against Jordan, breaking the previous mark of six shared by Just Fontaine and Jairzinho.
3. Most World Cup appearances – He extended his own record to 29 World Cup matches.
4. Most World Cup victories by a player – He extended his own record with Argentina’s group-stage wins.
5. Most minutes played in World Cup history – He continues to add to the record he already held and has now exceeded 2,490 minutes.
6. Oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick – His treble against Algeria came at 38 years and 357 days, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous record.
7. Highest-scoring South American in World Cup history – His hat-trick against Algeria took him past Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazário’s 15 World Cup goals.
8. Most goals from outside the penalty area in World Cup history – His free-kick against Jordan became his sixthWorld Cup goal from outside the box, moving him ahead of Rivellino’s five.
9. Joint-most direct free-kick goals in World Cup history – His strike against Jordan was his second direct World Cup free-kick, equalling Rivellino’s record.
10. First male player to appear in six FIFA World Cups – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
11. Only player to score in five different World Cup editions – He extended this unique achievement by scoring in 2026 after already scoring in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
12. Only player with an assist in five different World Cups – Although not a 2026-only record, he continues to hold and extend it.
13. Most World Cup goal contributions – He shares the all-time record with Pelé and continues to add to it.
14. Argentina’s all-time leading World Cup scorer – He extended his national record to 19 World Cup goals.