Lionel Messi appears to be playing his sixth World Cup on a mission to set records. Barely had the group stage of the 2026 tournament ended than the Argentina captain was making history again. Already crowned the World Cup’s all-time top scorer, he has now achieved another remarkable feat.
At the end of the group stage, Messi’s goal tally stands at 6. Yet 30 of the 48 teams in this World Cup have not even managed as many goals as he has — meaning Messi alone has scored more than, or as many as, the entire output of those 30 teams.
Messi began this World Cup with a hat-trick against Algeria, then scored twice against Austria. Rested for the final group match against Jordan, he came on as a second-half substitute and scored another from a superb free kick. In all, he now has 6 goals in three matches.
With those goals, the Argentine superstar also set a new world record by scoring in seven consecutive World Cup matches. He had previously been level at the top with France’s Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil’s Jairzinho (1970), who each scored in six straight matches; his goal against Jordan made the record his alone.
Six of Argentina’s eight goals in this World Cup have come from Messi’s feet. He scored all five of the team’s goals in the first two matches. Although coach Lionel Scaloni rested him for the final match, he came on as a substitute in the 60th minute and again got on the scoresheet.
Statistics show that, leaving aside Argentina, only 17 teams have so far scored more goals than Messi. Spain, Croatia, Egypt, Algeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina have scored five each — fewer than Messi. Four teams have scored four, four teams three, 12 teams two each, and four teams just one; Panama alone are yet to score.
At the end of the group stage, Germany, France and the Netherlands have scored the most, with 10 each. Canada have 9. Argentina, the United States, Norway and Senegal have eight each. Brazil, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland have seven each, and Portugal, England, Mexico, Morocco, Austria and Belgium six each.
Leading the Golden Boot race, Messi now faces the challenge of the knockout stage. If he keeps his current form, not only his personal records but also Argentina’s dream of defending their title will shine brighter.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report