Lionel Messi cemented his status as one of the greatest modern footballers after breaking multiple records and leading Argentina into the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. This marks the sixth World Cup campaign for the Argentine captain.
In a Group J match against Austria on June 22, Messi scored the opening goal for Argentina and added another in the final minutes, bringing his World Cup goal tally to 18. This achievement made him the tournament's all-time leading scorer, surpassing the previous record. The goals came at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of 70,000 enthusiastic fans, mostly Argentine supporters.
Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick, who revived the team since taking over in 2022, analyzed Messi's work ethic despite him being nearly 39. Rangnick noted: "Lionel Messi may not run as much as before. He likes to stand on the wing and sometimes stops in front of goal, in offside positions." He said this doesn't mean the opposition is short-handed, but they have a player less active in pressing. "That makes him dangerous, because he can be in an open space and receive the ball. We shouldn't have too many transitions, and we shouldn't let him receive the ball freely."
The match saw Argentina dominate. Messi missed an early penalty, failing to surpass Miroslav Klose in World Cup goals. He admitted afterward that he was "very angry" with himself, then twice came close to scoring but was denied by Austria captain David Alaba. In the 38th minute, Messi scored from a Facundo Medina assist, exactly as Rangnick had warned: Messi moved into space and scored with his trademark left-foot shot. His 18th goal came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when he finished through a crowded defense.
With five goals at the 2026 World Cup, Messi had already scored his first World Cup hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria earlier in the tournament.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who played alongside Messi at the 2006 World Cup, built a system around Messi to allow his captain to excel. This means letting others run more around him. Scaloni said: "Today, when the team struggled to control the ball, he put in effort. You can see his commitment, which says a lot about him."
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, author of an authoritative biography on Messi, said before the World Cup that the current version of Messi is "very different" from when he started his career at Barcelona in the early 2000s. Balague wrote: "Messi has reinvented himself at least five times to evolve into the player he is now for Argentina and Inter Miami. He has adapted to dominate and stay ahead of the game that always chases him." He quoted Pablo Aimar, Messi's childhood idol, who once said: "Messi in the end is always the best Messi." That version is a player who walks more than runs but "still sees everything first." Balague concluded: "Critics once used this (lack of running) against him. Now it is understood as subtlety."
