Argentina's Lionel Messi broke the record for career goals scored in the World Cup, scoring his 17th and 18th goals Monday at Dallas Stadium against Austria.
Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,649 fans.
“My tears after the first goal? I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to football. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said after the game. “I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”
Messi, who turns 39 this week, began the tournament with 13 career goals over five World Cups since 2006. He tied the record in the team's opener against Algeria earlier in the tournament, tying Germany's Miroslav Klose's record of 16 with a hat-trick before his performance against Austria Monday.
Argentina won the last World Cup in 2022, and Messi setting the record brings the team closer to becoming the first Argentina team to become back-to-back champs.
