FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi sets unwanted World Cup record before stunning turnaround to become all-time top scorer

Lionel Messi’s World Cup afternoon against Austria delivered both frustration and history. A ninth-minute penalty miss saw him set a new tournament record for most penalties taken and missed. Yet he later scored to move past Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, reinforcing a career defined by extraordinary consistency, longevity, and statistical extremes across multiple tournaments.