Messi’s two goals against Austria moved him to 18 World Cup goals. Here is the full ranking, from useful penalties to the strikes that changed Argentina’s tournament history.
Lionel Messi’s World Cup record no longer belongs to a single tournament, a single peak, or even a single version of the player. It now stretches from an 18-year-old substitute in Germany to a 38-year-old captain in Texas, from a late cameo in 2006 to the Austria brace that sent Argentina into the World Cup knockout rounds.
The latest addition changes the shape of the list. Messi scored twice against Austria, first to move past Miroslav Klose’s men’s World Cup record, then again in stoppage time to push his total to 18. He had already reached 16 with a hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria.
This ranking weighs difficulty, pressure, stage and historical value. A penalty in a final can matter more than a cleaner finish in a group match. A goal that changes a tournament can outrank one that looks better in isolation.
Argentina’s run also plays a critical role. Argentina’s World Cup 2026 roster was built to protect a title defense without turning Messi into a ceremonial figure. Through two matches, the goals say he’s still much more than that.
18. Saudi Arabia, 2022, 10th minute
The penalty was clean, but the match became defined by Saudi Arabia’s comeback. It belongs in the record, though it carries less weight than almost everything that followed.
17. Algeria, 2026, 60th minute
The second goal of the Algeria hat trick was Messi as opportunist. A loose ball, a sharp reaction, a finish that turned control into distance.
16. Nigeria, 2014, 3rd minute
This was instinct more than architecture. Messi reacted quickly in the box and struck early, setting the tone for one of his best World Cup group-stage performances.
15. Netherlands, 2022, 73rd minute
The finish was a penalty. The moment was not ordinary. Argentina’s quarterfinal against the Netherlands became chaos, and Messi’s conversion gave Argentina control before the match unraveled.
14. Croatia, 2022, 34th minute
Another penalty, but a bigger stage. Messi’s semifinal opener against Croatia pushed Argentina toward the final and let Julián Álvarez’s night unfold around him.
13. France, 2022 final, 23rd minute
A World Cup final penalty carries a different weight. Messi’s opener was simple in execution, but it gave Argentina the early shape of the match.
12. Algeria, 2026, 17th minute
The first goal of 2026 mattered because it restarted the chase. Twenty years after his first World Cup goal, Messi was still finding the first opening for Argentina.
11. Austria, 2026, 90+5th minute
The record had already been broken. The stoppage-time finish still mattered because it sealed the win, made the tally 18 and removed any doubt from Argentina’s second group match.
10. Australia, 2022, 35th minute
Low, patient and exact. Messi’s Round of 16 goal against Australia was one of those finishes that looked casual until the replay showed how little space he had.
9. Nigeria, 2014, 45th minute
The free kick had shape and speed. Messi bent it beyond the goalkeeper at the end of the first half, giving Argentina a second lead in a match that kept moving.
8. Serbia and Montenegro, 2006, 88th minute
The first one still has its own charge. Messi came off the bench, assisted, then scored Argentina’s sixth. The finish was calm. The timeline it began was not.
7. Algeria, 2026, 76th minute
The third against Algeria completed his first World Cup hat trick and tied Klose’s record. It was not just a late flourish. It was the bridge to the Austria record night.
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2014, 64th minute
This was the first classic Messi World Cup goal. He cut inside, combined, kept moving and struck off the post at the Maracanã.
5. Austria, 2026, 38th minute
The record-breaker belongs near the top. After missing an early penalty, Messi finished a left-footed move from Facundo Medina’s delivery and moved beyond Klose.
4. France, 2022 final, 108th minute
It was not the prettiest goal on the list. It was a World Cup final goal in extra time, scored when the match was already bending under its own pressure.
3. Nigeria, 2018, 14th minute
Technically, this is close to the summit. The thigh control, the second touch and the right-footed finish made it one of the cleanest goals of his Argentina career.
2. Iran, 2014, 90+1st minute
Argentina were stuck. Messi found the far corner from outside the box in stoppage time. Few of his World Cup goals have carried such immediate rescue value.
1. Mexico, 2022, 64th minute
This remains the best of them because of what it changed. Argentina were fragile after losing to Saudi Arabia. Messi’s low shot against Mexico reopened the tournament and, eventually, the path to the trophy.
