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What records remain untouched when one man has shattered them all? Lionel Messi's assault on the FIFA World Cup™ history books has been so comprehensive, so devastating in its scope, that the question itself feels almost rhetorical. After his magnificent hat-trick against Algeria and a decisive brace versus Austria at the 2026 finals, the Argentine deity stands alone with 18 World Cup goals — two clear of Miroslav Klose's former benchmark of 16. But that is merely the tip of an iceberg of extraordinary achievements. By inspiring Argentina past Austria, Messi also surpassed another Klose record: the German's 17 World Cup victories. He joined Just Fontaine and Jairzinho as the only players ever to find the net in six consecutive World Cup matches. At 38 years and 357 days, he became the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history against Algeria, eclipsing Cristiano Ronaldo's previous mark of 33 years and 130 days set against Spain in 2018. Messi and Ronaldo share the distinction of scoring in five separate World Cup editions — a feat achieved by no other players. The Argentine maestro has long been his nation's leading World Cup marksman, with Gabriel Batistuta (10), Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes (6) and Gonzalo Higuain (5) trailing in his wake. His Algeria treble also made him the highest-scoring South American in World Cup history, surpassing Brazil icon Ronaldo's 15. With two long-range strikes in Kansas City against Austria, Messi added his fifth and sixth World Cup goals from outside the area, overtaking Brazil legend Rivellino's previous record of five. His previous long-range efforts came against Bosnia and Herzegovina, IR Iran and Nigeria in 2014, and Mexico in 2022. Messi and Ronaldo co-own the record for appearing in six separate World Cup editions, previously shared with Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez and Andres Guardado. The Argentine genius has completed the most dribbles in World Cup history, with his 46 successful take-ons at Brazil 2014 ranking as the third-most in a single edition behind Jairzinho's 47 at Mexico 1970 and Maradona's astonishing 53 at Mexico 1986. Every time Messi steps onto the pitch, another piece of history trembles — and more often than not, it falls.
