Lionel Messi Becomes FIFA World Cup’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer After Surpassing Miroslav Klose

Lionel Messi added another historic milestone to his career by becoming the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, moving beyond Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record. The achievement strengthens Messi’s place in football history and highlights the extraordinary consistency required to reach such a landmark across multiple tournaments.

Lionel Messi has once again rewritten football history after becoming the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing the record previously held by Miroslav Klose. The Argentina captain reached the landmark during Argentina’s victory over Austria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, adding another chapter to a career already defined by individual excellence and collective success.

The record carries significance beyond the number itself. Klose’s mark had stood since 2014 and was widely regarded as one of international football’s most difficult achievements to break because it demands performance at the highest level across several tournaments and over many years.

Messi’s rise to the top reflects more than longevity. His World Cup career has spanned generations of opponents, tactical changes and different stages of Argentina’s national team development. Rather than relying on one standout tournament, the achievement has been built through sustained contribution across multiple editions of the competition.

The milestone also reopens discussions about how football greatness is measured. While comparisons between eras remain subjective, World Cup records often carry special importance because they are achieved on football’s biggest international stage and under unique levels of expectation and pressure.

For Argentina, the timing of the achievement provides additional momentum as the tournament progresses. For football supporters more broadly, it serves as another reminder that records once considered untouchable can eventually become part of a new era.

Attention will now turn to whether Messi can extend the record further during the remainder of the tournament and what this moment ultimately means within the wider history of the World Cup.