The all-time leading World Cup goal scorers as Messi breaks record | OneFootball

Lionel Messi wrote himself into the FIFA World Cup history books this week as he became the competition’s all-time leading goal scorer

The Inter Miami star grabbed a brace in Monday’s 2-0 win over Austria to send Argentina through to the round of 32 as group winners.

The 38-year-old is the only player on his team to score at the tournament this summer, having bagged a hat-trick against Algeria in the opening week.

That takes him up to 18 career goals in the competition, two more than previous record holder Miroslav Klose who won the World Cup in 2014 when Germany beat Messi’s Argentina in the final.

The former Barcelona forward may not hold the record for too long, though. Kylian Mbappe has found the net four times this summer, taking his all-time tally up to 16 World Cup goals. It’s an astonishing return for the Real Madrid striker, who is playing at just his third World Cup.

With both footballers potentially playing another six games, if their respective nations reach at least the semi-finals, there is a possibility that either Messi or Mbappe could reach Just Fontaine’s record number of goals at a single World Cup. The Frenchman scored an incredible 13 goals in just six matches in 1958.

The all-time leading World Cup goal scorers:

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 18 goals

=2. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 16

=2. Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16

4. Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) – 15

5. Gerd Muller (Germany) – 14

6. Just Fontaine (France) – 13

7. Pele (Brazil) – 12

=8. Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany & Germany) – 11

=8. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11

=10. Harry Kane (England) – 10

=10. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) – 10

=10. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) – 10

=10. Grzegorz Lato (Poland) – 10

=10. Gary Lineker (England) – 10

=10. Thomas Müller (Germany) – 10

=10. Helmut Rahn (West Germany) – 10

=17. Eusebio (Portugal) – 9

=17. Christian Vieri (Italy) – 9

=17. Roberto Baggio (Italy) – 9

=17. Jairzinho (Brazil) – 9

=17. Paolo Rossi (Italy) – 9

=17. Ademir (Brazil) – 9

=17. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany) – 9

=17. Vava (Brazil) – 9

=17. Uwe Seeler (West Germany) – 9

=17. David Villa (Spain) – 9

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