Messi 'stands alone at the top'

Messi 'stands alone at the top' underlines Lionel Messi’s latest World Cup scoring milestone as he approaches his 39th birthday. In a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday, the Argentina captain scored twice to become the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer with 18, surpassing Brazil’s Marta (17) and Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16). The article ties the achievement to Messi’s broader record run, including six World Cup tournaments and a World Cup record of 28 matches, plus goals across teenager, 20s, and 30s. It revisits his career trajectory: early global impact in 2006, frustration in 2010 and 2018, and the 2014 final defeat by Germany, along with disappointment in Copa America until later reversals. It also notes that after missing penalties in three different World Cups, he responded against Austria with two goals to decide the match and reshape records.