FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi sets unwanted World Cup record before stunning turnaround to become all-time top scorer

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) watches the screen during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) The Argentina captain’s ninth-minute miss created a unique piece of World Cup history and added to a statistical record that now sits alongside his remarkable goal-scoring record.Lionel Messi eventually found not one but two goals to move him clear as the top scorer in World Cup history, but before he reached those landmarks against Austria on Monday, the Argentina captain added his name to a very different part of the record book.The 39th-minute goal that gave Argentina the lead in their Group J clash took Lionel Messi to 17 World Cup goals, surpassing Germany’s Miroslav Klose. He then added a second deep into the stoppage time to take his tally to 18 and extend his lead as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Messi now has five goals in just two games at the 2026 tournament after his opening hat-trick against Algeria. The 2-0 victory saw Argentina officially secure their place in the knockout rounds, while Messi also equaled the records held by France’s Just Fontaine, the legendary striker who scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, and Brazil’s Jairzinho, a key figure in Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning team, scoring in every game of the tournament. He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, underscoring his remarkable consistency on football’s biggest stage.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, center, scores the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

However, the most interesting statistical development of the afternoon came much earlier when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner missed a penalty that briefly delayed his pursuit of the goalscoring record.That mistake did more than postpone history. It established Messi as the absolute holder of two separate World Cup penalties records, one reflecting his longevity and Argentina’s repeated deep runs at the tournament, the other highlighting the surprisingly complicated relationship with penalties on football’s biggest stage.

How the unconverted penalty evolved

The opportunity came in the ninth minute after a lengthy VAR review. Lautaro Martínez broke into the penalty area before being challenged by Austria’s Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch. While Schlager appeared to make contact with the ball, the officials, after reviewing the incident, determined that Posch’s challenge on Martínez warranted a penalty.Play continued for more than a minute while Martínez remained on the turf before the referee finally stopped proceedings and consulted the pitch monitor.The decision gave Messi the chance to score his 17th World Cup goal and immediately avoid Klose.Instead, his left-footed effort went wide of the right-hand post.

Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) dives for the ball as Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s shot goes wide during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)

At that point, Messi remained tied with Klos on 16 World Cup goals. Even more significant for the purposes of statistical history, he scored the third unconverted penalty of his career at the World Cup.

Messi now owns two World Cup penalty records

The miss against Austria was Messi’s seventh penalty attempt in normal World Cup play, excluding penalty shootouts.No player in the competition’s history has taken more.It was also his third missed penalty, edging out former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan to give him a single World Cup record.So Messi now stands alone as the player with the most penalties and most missed penalties in FIFA World Cup history, excluding shootouts.His overall record currently stands at four successful conversions from seven attempts.Ahead of Monday’s game, Messi shared an unwanted foul record with Gyan, whose two misses came against the Czech Republic in 2006 and in one of the most dramatic moments in World Cup history against Uruguay in the 2010 quarter-finals. On that occasion, after Luis Suárez handled the ball on the goal line and was sent off, Gyan fired a penalty against the crossbar in the closing moments of extra time to deny Ghana advance to the semi-finals.Messi’s miss against Austria moved him past Gyan and into sole possession of the record.

The penalty shootout of the World Cup in three tournaments

What makes the record particularly remarkable is how it has evolved over three separate World Cups. Messi’s first World Cup penalty came against Iceland at Russia 2018. His effort was saved by goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson in a 1-1 draw in Argentina.He converted against Saudi Arabia four years later in Qatar before suffering another setback when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny denied him during the group stage.The rest of the tournament changed his penalty story.Messi converted against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, Croatia in the semi-finals and France in the final, scoring three of the most important goals of Argentina’s title campaign.Another miss was added to the roster against Austria in 2026.His penalty record at the World Cup now consists of successful attempts against Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Croatia and France, alongside misses against Iceland, Poland and Austria.The numbers reveal an unusual contrast. Messi has become one of the most prolific goalscorers in the competition’s history, yet penalties have often been one of the few areas where vulnerability has occasionally appeared.

Where does Cristiano Ronaldo and other greats rank?

The amount of penalty attempts separates Messi from virtually every other player in the history of the World Cup.Often compared to Lionel Messi during a two-decade international career, Cristiano Ronaldo scored three of four penalties at the World Cup.The Portugal captain scored against Iran in 2006, Spain in 2018 and Ghana in 2022. His only mistake came later in the 2018 tournament when Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand saved his effort in a 1-1 draw.Ronaldo therefore finished his World Cup career with three goals and one miss from four penalty attempts.Several other legendary players also feature in the tournament’s penalty records:

• England captain Harry Kane has five penalties at the World Cup, scoring four and missing one.
• Portuguese great Eusébio converted all four of his World Cup penalties without making a mistake.
• Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta also scored all four of his tries.
• Dutch forward Rob Rensenbrink also maintained a perfect record, converting four penalties out of four attempts.

Messi’s total of seven attempts remains elusive, while his four successful conversions rank him alongside some of the most efficient penalties the tournament has seen.

A record built on longevity and opportunity

The reason why Messi holds both records isn’t just accuracy or inaccuracy, it’s largely a reflection of Argentina’s longevity, opportunity and sustained success across multiple tournaments.Monday’s match against Austria was his record 28th FIFA World Cup appearance and came during his sixth World Cup campaign. Less than a week earlier, he scored a hat-trick against Algeria in his 200th international appearance, exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut.Few players have played so many matches at the World Cup to accumulate seven penalty chances. Even fewer have done so while remaining at the center of their national team’s attack for almost two decades.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi leaves the field after the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

This longevity has placed Messi in a unique statistical category.Before half-time against Austria, his penalty miss briefly set an unwanted record. But he was quick to respond, breaking the all-time men’s World Cup shooting record with his 17th goal in the 39th minute and again, deep in stoppage time, adding an 18th to further extend his lead and seal a 2-0 victory for Argentina.The goalscoring record will inevitably dominate the headlines. But the penalty records provide a fascinating reminder that even the most successful World Cup career ever compiled contained moments of frustration as well as moments of brilliance.In Messi’s case, both happened in the same afternoon.