Messi, the all-time top scorer in World Cup history
With his goals at the 2026 World Cup, Lionel Messi overtook Miroslav Klose to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. At 39, the Argentine captain closed his sixth tournament with a record that will take a while to fall.
Some records looked untouchable. Miroslav Klose's, with 16 goals across four World Cups, was one of them. Lionel Messi matched it and then passed it, and in 2026 he stretched a lead that is no longer up for debate: he is, quite clearly, the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.
The Argentine captain netted eight goals at the 2026 tournament, enough to finish as the competition's second-top scorer, behind only Kylian Mbappé (10). But the figure that lasts forever is the cumulative one: Messi is the player with the most goals in World Cup history, ahead of Klose and every legend before him.
He did it, moreover, at his sixth World Cup, a mark he shares only with Cristiano Ronaldo and which places him on a plane of longevity reserved for very few. Six tournaments, more than two decades with the national team and a scoring consistency that has spanned entire generations of footballers.
Argentina lost the final to Spain (1-0 after extra time), so the dream farewell escaped Messi. But his place in the tournament's history no longer hinges on one more title: by the numbers, he is the greatest scorer a World Cup has ever seen. Review all his goals and the tournament's in our data section.