Messi Breaks New Ground with World Cup Records
Lionel Messi continues to redefine greatness on the world stage.
Against Cabo Verde, the Argentina captain became the first man in history to make 30 World Cup appearances and the first to score 20 World Cup goals, cementing his place among football’s immortals.
Messi’s tally of 20 goals spans five tournaments, beginning with his strike against Montenegro in 2006 and culminating in his latest against Cabo Verde in 2026.
Remarkably, 14 of those goals have come since the start of the 2022 World Cup, underscoring his enduring brilliance.
His recent scoring spree includes a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and crucial goals against Jordan and Cabo Verde.
The numbers tell the story of a player who has only grown sharper with age.
Messi has now scored 12 goals in his last eight World Cup matches, a run that began in Qatar 2022 and has carried into North America 2026.
With his opening goal against Cabo Verde, he also set another benchmark: 12 goal contributions in World Cup knockout rounds (6 goals, 6 assists), surpassing legends Pelé and Kylian Mbappé, who each had 11 since 1966.
