Lionel Messi has added another chapter to his legend.
The 38-year-old Argentina captain became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer on Monday, scoring twice against Austria to take his tally to 18 goals and move past Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who finished with 16.
Messi had already matched Klose’s record after his hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening match at the FIFA 2026 World Cup. His latest goals now leave him alone at the top of the scoring charts.
Top 10 World Cup Goalscorers
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Goals: 18
- World Cup appearances: 6
- 2006 — 1
- 2010 — 0
- 2014 — 4
- 2018 — 1
- 2022 — 7
- 2026 — 5 (so far)
- Matches played: 28
2. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
- Goals: 16
- World Cup appearances: 4
- 2002 — 5
- 2006 — 5
- 2010 — 4
- 2014 — 2
- Matches played: 24
3. Ronaldo (Brazil)
- Goals: 15
- World Cup appearances: 4
- 1994 — 0
- 1998 — 4
- 2002 — 8
- 2006 — 3
- Matches played: 19
4. Gerd Müller (West Germany)
- Goals: 14
- World Cup appearances: 2
- 1970 — 10
- 1974 — 4
- Matches played: 13
5. Kylian Mbappe (France)
- Goals: 14
- World Cup appearances: 3
- 2018 — 4
- 2022 — 8
- 2026 — 2 (so far)
- Matches played: 15
6. Just Fontaine (France)
- Goals: 13
- World Cup appearances: 1 (1958)
- Matches played: 6
7. Pelé (Brazil)
- Goals: 12
- World Cup appearances: 4
- 1958 — 6
- 1962 — 1
- 1966 — 1
- 1970 — 4
- Matches played: 14
8. Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)
- Goals: 11
- World Cup appearances: 3
- 1990 — 3
- 1994 — 5
- 1998 — 3
- Matches played: 17
9. Sándor Kocsis (Hungary)
- Goals: 11
- World Cup appearances: 1 (1954)
- Matches played: 5
10. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
- Goals: 10
- World Cup appearances: 3
- 1994 — 4
- 1998 — 5
- 2002 — 1
- Matches played: 12
Also on 10 Goals
Teófilo Cubillas (Peru)
- Goals: 10
- Matches played: 13
Harry Kane (England)
- Goals: 10
- Matches played: 12
