Washington: The 38-year-old captain took his tally to 18 World Cup goals across six tournaments, surpassing both Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Brazilian icon Marta to claim the all-time record.

Lionel Messi once again proved why he is regarded as one of football’s greatest-ever players, delivering a record-breaking performance as Argentina defeated Austria in their second Group J match of the FIFA World Cup.

Despite missing a penalty earlier in the contest, Messi opened the scoring in the 38th minute, calmly finding the net to move ahead of Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals. The strike sparked deafening celebrations at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Argentine superstar then added another goal deep into stoppage time, taking his overall World Cup tally to 18 and becoming the leading scorer across both men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups. In doing so, he surpassed Brazilian legend Marta, who scored 17 goals in FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Messi had equalled Klose’s record last week after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in the opening match of their title defence campaign.

Now competing in his sixth World Cup, having made his debut in 2006, Messi continues to defy age and expectations. He has scored 121 goals in 201 appearances for Argentina and has also become only the third player to score in six successive World Cups for his country.

The Inter Miami forward’s remarkable form has boosted Argentina’s hopes of retaining the World Cup title and becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back championships.

Messi’s latest achievements come amid personal challenges. He was visibly emotional after scoring against Algeria, with reports later revealing that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue. The Argentine captain had also endured a difficult build-up to the tournament due to a hamstring concern.

“If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all,” midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said following Argentina’s victory over Algeria.

Messi had delayed his decision on whether to participate in the tournament until shortly before it began, but his impact has been immediate and decisive. Four years after leading Argentina to World Cup glory, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star is once again at the heart of his nation’s ambitions.

Argentina can secure qualification to the knockout stages with a win over Austria and would also guarantee top spot in Group J should Jordan fail to defeat Algeria later on Monday.

Behind Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list are Ronaldo of Brazil with 15 goals, Germany’s Gerd Müller with 14, and France star Kylian Mbappé, who continues to climb the rankings.