Lionel Messi continues to defy all conventional logic during the 2026 World Cup.
The 39-year-old is rolling back the years during this year’s tournament, when many believed that winning the trophy in Qatar less than four years ago would be the final chapter for him.
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Yet, arguably the greatest player of all time refuses to go away. Messi is perhaps not the force he once was, but a player who was once judged on never winning the World Cup is now becoming an icon within its confines.
More records – both good and bad – fell for Messi during Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in Atlanta.
Messi becomes first player to score eight goals in five World Cup games since 1970
What felt like an age after Messi became the first player to miss two penalties at the same World Cup, the Inter Miami star stepped up once again.
Having already provided the assist from which Cristian Romero scored to pull one back for Argentina after they had fallen two goals behind, Messi scored once again to bring it back to 2-2 before Enzo Fernandez headed in a late winner.
In doing so, Messi broke a World Cup record that had stood for 56 years. Indeed, not since Germany legend Gerd Muller (10 in 1970) had a player scored eight goals in their team’s opening five matches at the tournament.
Messi now has eight and has pulled away in the all-time standings, having scored 21 goals across six World Cups. France forward Kylian Mbappe is the closest to Messi, having scored 19.
The fact that Messi made yet more history just a day after long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo was knocked out of the tournament will no doubt prove particularly sweet for his fans, too.
Argentina will now play either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals.
Read more:
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Lionel Messi makes World Cup history during Argentina vs Egypt
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