Lionel Messi is a man on a mission at the 2026 World Cup. The Argentine legend bagged a hat-trick in the match against Algeria which put him level with Miroslav Klose for World Cup goals, before scoring a brace against Austria which puts the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player on 18 goals, well clear of Klose’s 16.
Messi will certainly continue to help his country defend
its title, having won the World Cup in 2022. Frenchman Kylian Mbappe is not far behind with his brace against Iraq taking him to 16 goals, level with the old record.
Klose said he was fine with Messi breaking his record, but it looks Mbappe is on pace to either match or surpass Messi which he probably will do in a few years. With the World Cup still in the group stages, either player increasing their respective tallies is a real possibility.
