Lionel Messi joined an exclusive club by scoring in his fifth World Cup, leading Argentina to a 1-0 advantage over Algeria. This achievement places him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who first reached this milestone in 2022.
Messi skillfully navigated through Algeria’s defense to score his 14th World Cup goal. This goal marked a celebration amongst the packed crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Earlier, an offsides call nullified a goal by Messi. With this goal, Messi ties for third place in career World Cup goals alongside Kylian Mbappé and Gerd Muller. Miroslav Klose holds the record with 16 goals.
Messi’s achievement coincides with the 20th anniversary of his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro. Despite a recent minor hamstring injury while playing for Inter Miami, Messi demonstrated no hindrance during a match against Iceland, where he scored a penalty.
Making his 200th international appearance, Messi ranks third in all-time appearances behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Bader al-Mutawa. His contributions have fueled excitement in Kansas City with fans proudly donning his jersey.
A significant gathering at Kansas City’s Power & Light District featured a goat, symbolizing Messi’s status as the ‘Greatest of All Time’ (GOAT), accompanied by Jameis Winston, who wore the Argentina jersey. The debate over Messi’s legendary status becomes less contentious with each World Cup performance.