Lionel Messi Becomes First Player To Score 20 World Cup Goals, Extends Historic All-Time Record

Lionel Messi claimed yet another piece of FIFA World Cup history on Friday, becoming the first player in men's football to score 20 goals on football's biggest stage. The Argentina captain reached the unprecedented milestone after opening the scoring against Cape Verde in their Round of 32 clash at Miami Stadium, further extending the all-time scoring record he had already broken earlier in the 2026 edition.

The 39-year-old produced a finish befitting the occasion in the 29th minute. Timing his run to perfection, he latched onto a long pass from Lisandro Martinez, bringing the ball under control with the outside of his magical left foot and firing an unstoppable left-footed shot into the roof of the net to beat Vozinha in the Cape Verde goal.

The goal sparked jubilant celebrations among the fans at Miami Stadium, many of whom have watched Messi week in, week out as Inter Miami's captain.

Messi had already become the men's World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer earlier in the tournament by surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose's long-standing record of 16 goals. His latest strike took him to an unprecedented 20 World Cup goals, further cementing his place at the summit of the all-time scoring charts.

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The Argentina captain now sits two goals clear of France's Kylian Mbappé, who has climbed to 18 World Cup goals after another prolific tournament. Klose occupies third place on 16 goals, followed by Brazil great Ronaldo Nazário (15), Gerd Müller (14), while Just Fontaine and England captain Harry Kane are tied on 13. Brazil icon Pelé completes the top eight with 12 goals.

Messi's remarkable tally has come across five World Cup editions spanning two decades. He arrived at the 2026 tournament with 13 World Cup goals to his name, before embarking on another astonishing scoring spree. A hat-trick against Algeria kickstarted his campaign before he struck twice against Austria, curled home a trademark free-kick after coming off the bench against Jordan and then scored the historic goal against Cape Verde in the knockout stage.

The latest strike also saw Messi become the first player in men's football history to score seven or more goals in two different FIFA World Cup editions. He had previously netted seven times during Argentina's triumphant run to the title at Qatar 2022 and has already matched that tally in this edition, jointly hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also extended another record by scoring in eight consecutive World Cup appearances. The extraordinary streak stretches back to the Round of 16 at Qatar 2022 and has continued through every match he has featured in during the ongoing tournament.

Adding to the occasion was the venue itself. Messi reached the historic 20-goal milestone in Miami, the city he now calls home as captain of Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, making the moment all the more special for the local fans who have embraced him since his arrival in 2023.

With Argentina chasing back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles, Messi continues to rewrite football history while showing few signs of slowing down on the sport's biggest stage.

Here's a look at the leading goalscorers in men's FIFA World Cup history following Messi's latest landmark goal:

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