Lionel Messi Sets New FIFA World Cup Scoring Record

Lionel Messi (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi added another remarkable milestone to his legendary career after scoring against Austria to become the outright highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history and extend his streak of scoring in consecutive World Cup matches. The Argentina captain found the net during the defending champions' Group J clash in Dallas, taking his tally to 17 World Cup goals and moving past Germany great Miroslav Klose. The strike also saw the 38-year-old equal the record jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho for scoring in six consecutive World Cup matches. Messi entered the contest in sensational form after registering the first World Cup hat-trick of his career against Algeria while making his 200th appearance for Argentina. His latest goal, which came on the back of a penalty miss pretty early in the game, further strengthened his place among football's all-time greats. Interestingly, France star Kylian Mbappe had recently brushed aside comparisons with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , insisting that debates over greatness were not on his mind. "Messi is the best player, along with Cristiano, that's clear. I'm trying to help my team win another World Cup. The rest is just debate for the journalists. Right now, I'm not thinking about Haaland; maybe they're thinking about us, but I'm thinking about Iraq," Mbappe stated, as quoted by Marca as per Goal.com. The French captain also said individual records meant little compared to winning trophies. "Messi has shown what we've seen, that's a debate for people, it's good, but it's not something on my mind. What I want is to bring the trophy home. I won't be here when I turn 40; they'll have kicked me out before then. I don't make future plans; I only think about the present moment, about enjoying the World Cup," he added. "It's always a pleasure to be there, and the important thing is the match because we have to qualify. I already knew Leo was going to score because he always scores. I'm behind him, but if you score, you get closer, but the most important thing for me is winning the World Cup," he said.