He's allowed to be human. Maybe that's what makes this real.
There are athletes who define an era, and then there are those who quietly outlast every definition placed upon them. On the eve of his 39th birthday, Lionel Messi scored twice against Austria to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, surpassing Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals — a milestone made more remarkable by the fact that it arrives a decade after Messi once walked away from international football entirely. What we are witnessing is not merely the accumulation of records, but the rare spectacle of a man who returned from the edge of his own story and kept writing.
- Messi missed a penalty early in the match — the first of the entire tournament — and visibly struggled with the failure before channelling it into two goals that broke one of football's most enduring records.
- Twelve of his 18 World Cup goals have come since he turned 35, a statistical anomaly that defies conventional understanding of athletic decline.
- Argentina's campaign so far rests almost entirely on one man: Messi has scored all five of his team's goals, raising urgent questions about what happens if he falters.
- Pundits and former professionals are now openly debating whether the world is watching the greatest footballer who has ever lived.
- With Messi level with Maradona on eight World Cup assists and a group match against Jordan still to come, the record books remain open.
A decade ago, Lionel Messi announced he was finished with international football. Argentina had just lost another Copa America final, he had missed a penalty in the shootout, and the weight of four major tournament defeats in nine years had become too much. "For me, the national team is over," he said. He changed his mind.
On Monday, two days before his 39th birthday, Messi scored twice against Austria in a 2-0 victory. The first goal made him the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose. The second arrived in stoppage time, squeezed past two defenders from a tight angle — his 18th World Cup goal across six tournaments, scored exactly 40 years to the day after Diego Maradona's famous double against England.
The numbers surrounding his late-career resurgence are difficult to process. Twelve of those 18 goals have come since he turned 35. He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho in rarefied company. He has created more chances in World Cup history than any other player. And yet the match against Austria began with a missed penalty — the first of the tournament — which Messi admitted he "took very, very badly" before recovering to score twice and become the first player to do so in a competitive Argentina match after also missing a spot-kick.
Former players and analysts have begun asking the question directly: is this the greatest footballer who has ever lived? Those around the game point not just to his goals but to his physical intelligence — his ability to operate without explosive pace, reading the game several moves ahead of everyone else on the pitch.
The one shadow over Argentina's campaign is the depth of their dependence on him. Messi has scored every one of his team's five goals so far. Whether that reliance is a vulnerability or simply the privilege of having him remains the central tension of their tournament. With a group match against Jordan still to come, and Messi level with Maradona on eight World Cup assists, the question is no longer whether he will add to his record — only by how much.
A decade ago, Lionel Messi stood at a crossroads. After Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile in 2016—after he missed a penalty in the shootout—he announced he was done with international football. The pain of four major tournament defeats in nine years had become unbearable. "For me, the national team is over," he said then. "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion."
He changed his mind. On Monday, two days before his 39th birthday, Messi scored twice against Austria in a 2-0 victory, and with his 17th goal in that match, he became the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose. The second goal came in stoppage time, squeezed past two defenders from a tight angle. It was his 18th World Cup goal across six tournaments, and it arrived exactly 40 years to the day after Diego Maradona scored twice in a quarter-final against England.
The reversal of his retirement has reshaped both his legacy and Argentina's trajectory. Since 2016, the team has won two consecutive Copa America titles and captured the 2022 World Cup—their first in 36 years—with Messi as captain, scoring seven goals including two in the final. That tournament alone seemed to be the capstone to his career. Instead, he returned for another World Cup cycle, and at an age when most players have long since stepped away, he is still rewriting the record books.
What makes the achievement more striking is the timing of his goals. Twelve of his 18 World Cup goals have come since he turned 35. At this tournament alone, he has scored all five of Argentina's goals so far and sits two clear atop the scoring list. He became only the third player ever to score in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining France's Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970. In his last six World Cup games, he has been involved in 12 goals—10 scored, two assisted. He has also created 76 chances across all his World Cup appearances, more than any player in tournament history.
Yet even in his dominance, there are cracks. Early in the match against Austria, Messi missed a penalty—the first penalty miss of the entire tournament. He has now taken seven penalties at World Cups and missed three, both records excluding shootouts. He has also failed to convert six of 31 penalties for Argentina overall. After the match, he acknowledged the frustration. "There was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty, because I missed it and I took it very, very badly," he said. "Luckily we were able to reverse that situation, take the lead and get the three points." By scoring twice afterward, he became the first player to score in a competitive match for Argentina after also missing a penalty in that same game.
Analysts and former players have begun asking whether the world is witnessing the greatest footballer ever. Former Wales defender Ashley Williams posed the question directly: "Are we looking at the greatest player ever? It's possible and definitely worth the debate." Danny Murphy, the former England midfielder, called him "the best player I've ever seen." Olivier Giroud, a World Cup winner himself in 2018, marveled at Messi's physical management. "He is not suffering physically, he is managing his healthy lifestyle well—he has to because otherwise you cannot stay playing that long," Giroud said.
But there is a shadow across Argentina's success. Chris Sutton, the former England striker, raised a question that coaches must be asking: can Argentina afford to rely so heavily on one player? "The way he knits things together—he is the little guy for the big moments," Sutton said. "I suppose the negative side for Lionel Scaloni is he probably wants other players to contribute with goals. They can't just rely on Messi, or can they?" Spanish journalist Guillem Balague suggested that Messi's intelligence and body awareness have evolved beyond what most players ever achieve. "Messi doesn't need to run. He doesn't even need explosive pace to beat defenders, he just does it with intelligence," Balague said, and then added a prediction: "I think we're going to see him in four years' time."
Messi's next opportunity to add to his record comes against Jordan in Argentina's final group match. He is currently level with Diego Maradona on eight World Cup assists. At 39, with his body still responding, with his mind still sharp, and with a team built around his presence, the question is no longer whether he will score again—it is how many more records remain for him to break.
Citações Notáveis
For me, the national team is over. I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.— Messi, 2016, after announcing his international retirement
There was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty, because I missed it and I took it very, very badly. Luckily we were able to reverse that situation, take the lead and get the three points.— Messi, after the Austria match
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did he come back? After 2016, after he said it was over, what changed his mind?
He never really explained it in those terms. But Argentina won the Copa America in 2021, and then the World Cup in 2022. Once you taste that, once you're captain lifting the trophy—maybe the pain from before finally lifts. The door opens again.
So this isn't about ego or chasing records. It's about the team needing him.
It's both, I think. The team absolutely needed him. But he also needed them. He'd spent a decade saying it was over, that it hurt too much. Then suddenly it didn't hurt anymore. It felt like purpose.
At 39, scoring 18 World Cup goals—is that athleticism or is it something else?
It's intelligence. He's not outrunning defenders anymore. He's reading the space before it exists. His body knows exactly what it can do and what it can't. He's stopped fighting his age and started using it.
The penalty miss bothers me. He's supposed to be perfect.
That's the thing though. He's not. He's missed six of 31 penalties for Argentina. But he scored twice after that miss. He's allowed to be human. Maybe that's what makes this moment real.
Can Argentina win without him?
That's the question nobody wants to ask. They've built everything around him. But maybe that's not a weakness. Maybe that's just what it looks like when you have the best player in the world and you use him.
What happens in four years?
He'll be 43. And based on what we're seeing now, he'll probably still be playing.