In what was a historic afternoon in Dallas, Messi officially became the most prolific marksman in the history of the World Cup. Just days before his 39th birthday, the Argentina captain found the back of the net to reach 17 career goals at the finals, moving past the previous record of 16 held by Miroslav Klose.
The legendary forward had entered the tournament in fine form, narrowing the gap significantly after a stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria. His clinical strike against Austria ensures that he now holds the gold standard for scoring in international football’s most prestigious competition.
