Messi Approaches World Cup Goal Record, Shares Historic Milestone

Lionel Messi is approaching his 39th birthday, and he has requested something remarkable for the occasion: a hat trick and a share in a historic football record.

In a recent game, Messi was trailing France’s Kylian Mbappé on the all-time World Cup goals leaderboard. This followed Mbappé’s impressive two-goal performance against Senegal earlier the same day. However, Messi, known for defeating Mbappé in the legendary World Cup Final four years ago, has surpassed him again at this prestigious tournament. He scored three goals against Algeria, marking a strong start for the reigning and defending champions.

Has Messi broken the record for the most goals at the World Cup? Although he hasn’t fully claimed the record yet, he has tied it. Germany’s Miroslav Klose set the record with 16 goals during the 2014 World Cup. Klose scored during the semifinals and later faced Messi and Argentina in the final.

Now, 12 years later, Messi has matched Klose’s record, transforming the remainder of this World Cup into a contest between him and Mbappé. Fans and analysts expect both players to score many more goals this summer across North America.

Messi could potentially break the record with his 17th goal next Monday against Austria, just two days prior to his 39th birthday. Meanwhile, Mbappé, with 14 goals so far, aims to keep up the pace. He will compete against Iraq on the same day. This match could see Mbappé tie Klose’s record or even set a new one.