Lionel Messi continues to prove his worth as perhaps the best football player of all time. Even at this age (turning 39), he doesn’t look like stopping, having already netted five times in Argentina’s two contested games at the FIFA World Cup 2026. After his hat-trick against Algeria, which tied him with Miroslav Klose for the most World Cup goals, Messi surpassed him with a 38th-minute stunner against Austria in Dallas. Although he scored a brace, with Argentina winning the match and qualifying for the Round of 32, Austria coach Ralf Rangnick wasn’t impressed with Messi's opening goal, questioning the fourth official’s decision to overlook a foul on his team player just before that.&nbsp;Rangnick, however, remained in awe of Messi’s greatness, who broke a plethora of records to guide his team home in back-to-back matches in this edition. Messi, meanwhile, missed a penalty early in the game. &nbsp;"If someone is 39 years old and can ​score two goals and five overall at the beginning of the World Cup, that ​makes a difference," Rangnick said of Messi. "We knew he was on a level of his ​own, and Lionel Messi showed he's one of the best, or even the best. &nbsp;"But I think ​we participated in the second goal; that's our own fault. &nbsp;"For the first goal, I would've asked the fourth official to do what he did before the penalty kick; he should have looked, and he would've seen what ​everyone saw: a foul on (Xaver) Schlager. &nbsp;"It was annoying. However, I'm overall satisfied with my team, and ​I agree with how they played today,” he said, addressing controversy around Messi’s first goal.

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Messi’s double, which accounted for his and Argentina’s fifth goal in the group stage itself, kept the defending champions in the driver’s seat against Austria.&nbsp; &nbsp;While he admitted issues with his team’s first-half showing, Rangnick said the European side came all guns blazing in the second, only to concede a second to Messi against the run of play.&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lionel-messi-creates-fifa-world-cup-history-with-record-17th-goal-surpasses-miroslav-klose-most-goals-in-world-cup-argentina-vs-austria-1782150729009">Messi's record-breaking brace against Austria powers Argentina to World Cup knockouts</a> &nbsp;"This is Lionel Messi," said Rangnick. "He doesn't need many situations to actually decide a match." &nbsp;"During every match ​at a ⁠World Cup, there are phases where one team has the momentum on their side," he said of his team’s performance. "It was in our favour, they missed the penalty kick, and after that we were in the game. &nbsp;"I would've ⁠asked my ​players to be braver, to shoot during the second ​half. We were in control of the ball; most people didn't expect us to be that much in control. &nbsp;"I think ​in the second half we put in a top performance,” he concluded. &nbsp;Meanwhile, Austria is second after Argentina in Group J, with a win and a loss in two matches. A win in their final game against Algeria will seal their place in the Round of 32.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick called Lionel Messi’s record-breaking World Cup opener ‘annoying’ over an uncalled foul, but admitted the icon is ‘on a level of his own.’

Lionel Messi continues to prove his worth as perhaps the best football player of all time. Even at this age (turning 39), he doesn’t look like stopping, having already netted five times in Argentina’s two contested games at the FIFA World Cup 2026. After his hat-trick against Algeria, which tied him with Miroslav Klose for the most World Cup goals, Messi surpassed him with a 38th-minute stunner against Austria in Dallas. Although he scored a brace, with Argentina winning the match and qualifying for the Round of 32, Austria coach Ralf Rangnick wasn’t impressed with Messi's opening goal, questioning the fourth official’s decision to overlook a foul on his team player just before that. Rangnick, however, remained in awe of Messi’s greatness, who broke a plethora of records to guide his team home in back-to-back matches in this edition. Messi, meanwhile, missed a penalty early in the game. "If someone is 39 years old and can score two goals and five overall at the beginning of the World Cup, that makes a difference," Rangnick said of Messi. "We knew he was on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi showed he's one of the best, or even the best. "But I think we participated in the second goal; that's our own fault. "For the first goal, I would've asked the fourth official to do what he did before the penalty kick; he should have looked, and he would've seen what everyone saw: a foul on (Xaver) Schlager. "It was annoying. However, I'm overall satisfied with my team, and I agree with how they played today,” he said, addressing controversy around Messi’s first goal.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick called Lionel Messi’s record-breaking World Cup opener ‘annoying’ over an uncalled foul, but admitted the icon is ‘on a level of his own.’

‘It was annoying’: Austria coach Ralf Rangnick slams Messi’s first-half goal but admits ‘he is the best’

Lionel Messi scored a brace against Austria in Argentina’s second group game to power the defending champions into the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockouts. Messi also broke the record for the most goals in the competition's history by netting his 18th World Cup goal—two clear of Germany's Miroslav Klose. He surpassed Klose's tally with a stunner in the 38th minute before smashing one in stoppage time (95th minute) to help Argentina beat Austria 2-0. In two contested matches thus far, Argentina has scored five goals, with every single one coming from Messi's boots.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨🇦🇷 OFFICIAL: LEO MESSI IS WORLD CUP TOP SCORER EVER WITH 17 GOALS. 🌎🤩 <a href="https://t.co/WhUddnewOY">pic.twitter.com/WhUddnewOY</a>&mdash; Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2069113158078255401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Earlier in his team’s tournament opener against Algeria, Messi scored his maiden World Cup hat-trick and, with that, equalled Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals. Needing just one to get past the former Germany striker, Messi netted in the first half against Austria, with the Dallas crowd erupting in joy.

Meanwhile, Messi is playing at his sixth FIFA World Cup, having made his debut back in 2006. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner helped his team win its third world title in the previous edition in Qatar and now aims to repeat the feat in North America. Should Argentina win the 2026 edition, they will become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles.<h3>Tears, joy and records</h3>After shedding tears following his first goal in Argentina’s title defence opener against Algeria last week, Messi revealed that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue. However, amid personal travails and a troubled build-up to the tournament due to a hamstring injury, Messi’s feats bring joy to him, his team and the countless fans watching worldwide. &nbsp;"If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all," said midfielder Alexis Mac Allister after the win against Algeria.<h3>All Hail King Messi</h3>Messi continued his purple patch in the second half, with Argentina looking confident on the pitch. Although both teams failed to find the back of the net at least until the regular time, Messi found a little window late into the stoppage time to score a screamer and collect his 18th World Cup goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Messi’s second goal of the match increased his tally for this edition alone to five, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner breaking multiple records during this outing. Registering the most World Cup goals tops the list, and also for the most appearances and most minutes played among others. &nbsp;Argentina will next face Jordan in their last group stage game on Sunday (Jun 28) at the same venue.&nbsp;

History made in Dallas! Lionel Messi scores his record-breaking 17th goal to surpass Miroslav Klose as the all-time World Cup top scorer during Argentina's game against Austria. Full match details, penalty drama, and stats inside.

Lionel Messi scored a brace against Austria in Argentina’s second group game to power the defending champions into the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockouts. Messi also broke the record for the most goals in the competition's history by netting his 18th World Cup goal—two clear of Germany's Miroslav Klose. He surpassed Klose's tally with a stunner in the 38th minute before smashing one in stoppage time (95th minute) to help Argentina beat Austria 2-0. In two contested matches thus far, Argentina has scored five goals, with every single one coming from Messi's boots.

History made in Dallas! Lionel Messi scores his record-breaking 17th goal to surpass Miroslav Klose as the all-time World Cup top scorer during Argentina's game against Austria. Full match details, penalty drama, and stats inside.

Messi's record-breaking brace against Austria powers Argentina to World Cup knockouts

Lionel Messi is on the verge of football immortality. As Argentina battles Austria at the 2026 World Cup, discover the five legendary records—including Miroslav Klose's historic goals tally—the maestro can break in Dallas.

Lionel Messi is on the verge of football immortality. As Argentina battles Austria at the 2026 World Cup, discover the five legendary records—including Miroslav Klose's historic goals tally—the maestro can break in Dallas.

Chasing Klose: 5 World Cup records Messi can break in Argentina’s clash against Austria

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‘It was annoying’: Austria coach Ralf Rangnick slams Messi’s first-half goal but admits ‘he is the best’

Messi's record-breaking brace against Austria powers Argentina to WC knockouts

5 World Cup records Messi can break in Argentina’s clash against Austria