18 Goals, 28 Matches, 18 Wins, 2,489 Minutes: Messi's Record-Breaking Feat Stuns Guinness World Records

Argentina's "God of Football," Lionel Messi, has brilliantly decorated a page in the Guinness World Records, which documents unique and extraordinary achievements from around the globe, through the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Argentina's captain, Messi, scored the opening winning goal in the 38th minute of the first half and added another in stoppage time of the second half against Austria in the Group J match of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, held at Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA, on June 23 (KST).

Led by Messi’s multi-goal performance in his sixth career World Cup, Argentina secured a 2-0 victory, clinching their spot in the Round of 32 with two consecutive wins in the group stage.

With his multi-goal performance today, Messi achieved four major records that will be difficult to break in the future.

Having scored a hat-trick in the first group match, Messi added two more goals today to reach a total of 18 World Cup goals (1 in 2010, 4 in 2014, 1 in 2018, 7 in 2022, and 5 so far in 2026), surpassing Miroslav Klose (Germany, 16 goals) to become the all-time leading scorer in the tournament's history.

Playing the full match, Messi also extended his record for the most World Cup appearances to 28 games, a record he continues to break.

The previous record was held by Lothar Matthäus (Germany, 26 matches).

Messi has now played 2,489 minutes across his 28 matches, cementing his name as the player who has spent the most time on the pitch in World Cup history.

Furthermore, with today's victory over Austria, he reached 18 total World Cup wins (5 draws, 5 losses), surpassing Klose's record (17 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses) in this category as well.

Guinness World Records posted on its official social media account today under the title "All the records Messi broke today," listing: ▲ Most goals in World Cup finals - 18 goals ▲ Most World Cup appearances - 28 matches ▲ Most wins by a single player in World Cup history - 18 wins ▲ Most minutes played in World Cup history - 2,489 minutes, adding the comment, "We are witnessing history."

(Photo: Getty Images)
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