Lionel Messi has set another record in the FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal against Jordan at the Dallas Stadium on Sunday (June 28), a match Argentina won 3–1.

Messi was named among the substitutes for the final group match. He took the field an hour into the game and soon secured the team’s third consecutive victory with a brilliant free-kick, extending both Argentina’s lead and his own scoring record.

Notably, this was the first time since June 2006 that Argentina fielded a starting XI without Lionel Messi.

Messi’s New Record

The 39-year-old striker converted a free-kick into a goal in the 80th minute, becoming the first player to score in seven consecutive FIFA World Cup matches. This streak began with the Round of 16 match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Messi scored in the 35th minute.

He subsequently scored via penalties in the quarter-final against the Netherlands and the semi-final against Croatia. In the final against France, Messi again scored from a penalty and added another goal during extra time.

In the current tournament, he started with a hat-trick against Algeria and followed it up with two goals against Austria. In doing so, he surpassed former German forward Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading goalscorer in the men’s FIFA World Cup.

With this, Messi has raised his all-time goal tally to 19. These achievements have come during Messi’s sixth FIFA World Cup campaign, making him the first male player to feature in six editions of the tournament (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026).

Record for scoring in consecutive World Cup matches

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 7 matches – 2022 (Qatar), 2026 (USA, Mexico, Canada)
Just Fontaine (France) – 6 matches – 1958 (Sweden)
Jairzinho (Brazil) – 6 matches – 1970 (Mexico)

Messi leads the Golden Boot race

Messi has scored a total of 6 goals in this tournament. With this tally, he is two goals ahead of superstars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior, and Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.