Messi did it again. 🇦🇷 In Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, the captain scored the first goal of the match and with that wrote a line no one else has in history: he is the first footballer to score in absolutely every stage of a World Cup, including the new round FIFA added by expanding the tournament to 48 teams.
The stat is not isolated. He was already coming off a dream World Cup: a hat-trick against Algeria to tie Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer, and a brace against Austria to take sole possession of the top spot. Today he stands on 20 goals in six World Cups and 28 matches played, more than anyone.
Mbappé and Kane are still chasing that complete mark. One still lacks quarterfinals and semifinals, the other semis and a final he never played. Messi, at 38, keeps expanding a legend that no longer has any possible comparison. 🐐
