Lionel Messi World Cup goal history: Argentina legend scores 14th, 15th and 16th on anniversary of first | Sporting News

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Despite a legendary club career in Europe, he had to wait until 2022 to capture the one major trophy that had eluded him: the FIFA World Cup with Argentina. After lifting the trophy in Qatar with a dramatic victory over France, Messi began Argentina's 2026 World Cup campaign in Kansas City. Shortly after becoming the first player to start matches at six consecutive World Cups, he scored his 14th career World Cup goal—exactly 20 years to the day after netting his first in 2006. Although he failed to score at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Messi has now found the back of the net in five different World Cups since making his tournament debut. Here's a look back at Messi's World Cup goals, from No. 1 through No. 14. 2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets Lionel Messi World Cup goal history | Year | Opponent | | 2026 | Algeria (group stage) | | 2026 | Algeria (group stage) | | 2026 | Algeria (group stage) | | 2022 | France (Final) | | 2022 | France (Final) | | 2022 | Croatia (Semifinals) | | 2022 | Netherlands (Quarterfinals) | | 2022 | Australia (Round of 16) | | 2022 | Mexico (Group stage) | | 2022 | Saudi Arabia (Group stage) | | 2018 | Nigeria (Group stage) | | 2014 | Nigeria (Group stage) | | 2014 | Nigeria (Group stage) | | 2014 | Iran (Group stage) | | 2014 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group stage) | | 2006 | Serbia and Montenegro (Group stage) | MORE WORLD CUP NEWS: - Ranking World Cup groups from hardest to easiest - 10 World Cup teams with best chance to win - Ranking 7 best matches of the World Cup How many different World Cups has Messi scored in? With his two goals against Algeria in the 2026 World Cup, Messi has now scored in five separate World Cup tournaments. He joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the only male players to score in five separate World Cup tournaments. Messi has played in six tournaments; however, he was held goalless in the 2010 edition in South Africa through five appearances. All-time World Cup goal leaders | Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Matches | Tournaments (WC wins in bold) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1. | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 | | T2 | Lionel Messi* | Argentina | 15 | 27 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 | | T2 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006. | | T3 | Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 | | T3 | Kylian Mbappe* | France | 14 | 15 | 2018, 2022, 2026 | | 5 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 26 | 1958 | | 7. | Pele | Brazil | 12 | 14 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 | | T8. | Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 | 1954 | | T8. | Jurgen Klinsmann | West Germany/Germany | 11 | 17 | 1990, 1994, 1998 | | T10. | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 | 10 | 1954, 1958 | | T10 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 | 12 | 1986, 1990 | | T10 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 | 12 | 1994, 1998, 2002 | | T10 | Teofilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 | 13 | 1970, 1978, 1982 | | T10 | Thomas Muller | Germany | 10 | 19 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 | | T10 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 | 20 | 1974, 1978, 1982 | How old is Lionel Messi? At the first game of the 2026 World Cup, Messi is 38 years old and was born in 1987. He will turn 39 on June 28, the day after Argentina's final group-stage game against Jordan. With Messi's two goals against Algeria, he became the third-oldest goal scorer at the World Cup. Ronaldo will pass Messi and move into second on the all-time list if he were to score at this summer's tournament.