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Lionel Messi Scores His First Goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Matches Cristiano Ronaldo’s Record
The Argentine superstar once again makes the difference for Argentina, finding the net in his World Cup opener in Kansas City.
Lionel Messi delivered once again, scoring his first goal for Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, matching a record held by Cristiano Ronaldo while also drawing level with Kylian Mbappe on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
HOW THE GOAL HAPPENED
After having a goal ruled out for offside in the fifth minute, the Argentine superstar found the breakthrough in the 17th minute to make it 1–0 against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium.
Messi capitalized on a pass from his close friend and longtime teammate Rodrigo De Paul, a lethal partnership for both Argentina and Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Receiving the ball in the final third, La Pulga created space for himself and unleashed a magnificent left-footed strike from long range, beating Luca Zidane—the son of French legend Zinedine Zidane—with a stunning effort.
The goal further enhanced his remarkable legacy, marking his 118th goal in 200 appearances for Argentina.
A GOAL STEEPED IN HISTORY
By taking the field a day before Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi became the first player ever to appear in six FIFA World Cups. He also joined the Portuguese icon as one of only two footballers to score in five different editions of the tournament.
The goal was also his 14th in World Cup competition, drawing him level with Kylian Mbappe on the all-time scoring list. The French star had moved ahead of Messi just hours earlier after netting a brace against Senegal at New Jersey/New York Stadium, but his advantage proved short-lived as the Argentine quickly caught up.
Messi can now boast having scored at Germany 2006, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, Qatar 2022 and 2026, with South Africa 2010 the only edition in which he failed to find the net.
The Rosario-born forward also became the third-oldest player ever to score in a FIFA World Cup at 38 years and 357 days, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years and 39 days) and Portugal’s Pepe (39 years and 283 days).
ACHIEVING WHAT NO ONE ELSE HAS
With this strike, Leo achieved something unprecedented. He is now the only player in World Cup history to have scored against 11 different national teams, surpassing the previous mark of 10 held by Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazário and Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann.
His list of victims includes Serbia, Mexico, Nigeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Croatia, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria.
Another remarkable detail is the timing: Messi scored exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut. He first appeared on football’s biggest stage on June 16, 2006, at the World Cup in Germany, where he marked his debut with a goal against Serbia.
