The most goals in World Cup history as Lionel Messi equals record with stunning hat-trick | OneFootball

Lionel Messi made history overnight as his hat-trick helped Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in their 2026 World Cup opener.

Messi's treble saw him equal the record for most World Cup goals, just hours afterFrance's Kylian Mbappe had scored twice against Senegal to break into the all-time top five scorers.

FIFA World Cup all-time top scorers

Kylian Mbappe - France (14)

Kylian Mbappe has scored 14 goals in just 15 games at the World Cup after netting twice against Senegal on Tuesday.

At just 27, Mbappe has established himself as one of the most impactful players in World Cup history. He won the 2018 tournament as a teenager, scoring four times, including in the final win over Croatia. That goal saw him become only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, after Pele.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot in 2022 with eight goals, a return which included a hat-trick in France's final defeat to Argentina. It was only the second time a player had scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final and the first in a defeat.

His brace against Senegal to open the 2026 tournament took him above Pele and Just Fontaine, while also setting a new record as France's record scorer (58).

Gerd Muller - Germany (14)

Gerd Muller averaged better than a goal per game at the World Cup, scoring 14 goals in only 13 games across two tournaments.

'Der Bomber' scored 10 goals as WestGermany reached the 1970 semi-finals, a performance that saw Muller win that year's Ballon d'Or.

Team success arrived in the following tournaments with triumphs at the 1972 European Championship and 1974 World Cup. Muller scored four goals at the latter, including the decisive goal in the final win over the Netherlands.

Ronaldo Nazario - Brazil (15)

O Fenômeno has one of the great World Cup stories. Having watched on as an unused member ofBrazil's successful squad in 1994, Ronaldo was the world's finest footballer when the tournament headed to France in 1998.

He scored four goals on a seemingly unstoppable run to success, only for disaster to strike. Ronaldo was taken ill in the hours before the final and, despite returning to feature, was unable to impact the game as Brazil were beaten by the hosts.

In 2002, he completed a remarkable redemption arc. Included in the Brazil squad despite missing much of the previous two-and-a-half years with serious knee injuries, he scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot and fire Brazil to the trophy.

He added three goals in 2006, taking his career haul to 15 World Cup goals.

Miroslav Klose - Germany (16)

Miroslav Klose became Germany's all-time top scorer during an illustrious international career, with 16 of his goals scored at the World Cup.

He broke into the team ahead of the 2002 tournament and marked his World Cup debut with a headed hat-trick against Saudi Arabia, scoring five times in Japan and South Korea. He added five more to win the Golden Boot on home soil in 2006, and four more as Germany reached the semi-finals in 2010.

His fourth and final World Cup saw Klose break the goal record, while, crucially, claiming World Cup success. Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to be crowned world champions in Brazil.

Lionel Messi - Argentina (16)

Lionel Messi kickstarted his record sixth World Cup with a hat-trick to sink Algeria and tie Klose for the most goals in World Cup history.

Messi had scored 13 goals in five previous tournaments, with seven coming during an unforgettable tournament in Qatar in 2022. After so many disappointments in his Argentina career, Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup. It was a success that he inspired, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

A fitting, and long-awaited, success on the world stage for perhaps the greatest talent the game has ever seen.