Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi extended his all-time World Cup scoring record to 20 goals with the opener in Argentina's 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde on 3 July 2026, sending Argentina into a round-of-16 tie with Mohamed Salah's Egypt. He first became the outright all-time top scorer on 22 June 2026, reaching 18 goals across his six tournaments and surpassing Miroslav Klose's men's record of 16 and Marta's all-time mark of 17; a free kick against Jordan on 27 June took the tally to 19 before the Cape Verde goal made it 20. At 38, he is competing at a sixth consecutive tournament, an unprecedented feat in the men's game.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine forward widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history. He won eight Ballon d'Or awards and scored more than 800 career goals across a career that began at FC Barcelona in 2004 and spanned ten La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies, and seven Copa del Rey medals, followed by a season at Paris Saint-Germain and his current role at Inter Miami CF (joined 2023). At international level, years of near-misses resolved in two crowning achievements: the Copa America 2021 title, ending a 28-year drought, and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, won on penalties against France in a final regarded as the greatest in the tournament's history.

The 2026 World Cup is almost certainly Messi's final international tournament. Argentina enter as defending champions, and the all-time scoring record he continues to extend places his legacy in a category of its own across men's and women's football. His presence shapes Argentina's entire attacking structure and their prospects of consecutive World Cup titles as they push through the knockouts.