Lionel Messi, with his goal vs Cape Verde, became the first payer to score 20 goals in World Cup history and is making his 30th tournament appearance.
Argentina are all set to continue their journey in the FIFA World Cup 2026 as they are taking on the ultimate underdogs Cape Verde in the Round of 32 clash at the Miami Stadium on July 4 (Saturday). This will be a massive game for the defending champions as a win would push them straight into the Round of 16 of the tournament. The player who everyone would have their eyes on in this game will definitely be Lionel Messi, who is featuring in the playing XI after coming off from the bench in the last game against Jordan. In fact, he has continued smashing records achieving feats no one has done before.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina converting a wonder pass from the deep by Lisandro Martinez into a goal. He thus becomes the first player in the history of he FIFA World Cup to score 20 goals in the tournament. He had already become the player with the most goals in FIFA World Cup history earlier in the tournament.
Here are the players with the most goals in FIFA World Cup history:
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Matches Played | Tournaments Played |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 20 | 30 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 18 | 18 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 |
Lionel Messi also scored in his 8th consecutive game in the FIFA World Cup which in itself in a new record.
Lionel Messi First To Make 30 FIFA World Cup Appearances
Lionel Messi has stepped on to the field to play his 30th game in FIFA World Cups. With this, he becomes the first player in the 96 year history of the FIFA World Cup to play 30 games of the tournament. The player with the second most appearances in World Cups in Cristiano Ronaldo with 26 games for Portugal in the tournament.
