Lionel Messi has once again carried the expectations of a nation on his shoulders, engineering Argentina's smooth progression out of Group J and into the newly expanded Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.


The Perfect Start: Hat-Trick vs. Algeria

Argentina opened their title defense in style with a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria. Messi was the orchestrator of the entire performance, netting a stunning hat-trick that immediately put the rest of the tournament on notice and equaled Miroslav Klose's long-standing men's World Cup goal-scoring record.


Securing the Round of 32: Two Goals vs. Austria

With qualification to the knockout stages on the line, Messi followed up his opening-day masterclass with another decisive display against Austria:

  • Breaking the Deadlock: In the 38th minute, Messi fired home a pass from Facundo Medina to score his 17th career World Cup goal, officially becoming the all-time leading male goalscorer in tournament history.
  • Sealing the Win: Despite uncharacteristically missing an early penalty, Messi put the game entirely out of reach in the 94th minute, tucking away his second goal of the match to complete a 2-0 win.


With five goals in just two matches, the reigning world champions comfortably march into the Round of 32, where they are scheduled to meet the second-place finisher from Group H. 


Do you think anyone can stop Messi from winning back-to-back World Cups if he keeps scoring at this rate? Is he officially the greatest of all time after breaking Klose's record? Let us know what you think in the comments below!