Lionel Messi has done it. The Argentine captain is now the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history - and he did it the hard way.
Playing against Austria in Dallas on Monday, Messi entered the match needing just one goal to break Miroslav Klose's record. He missed an early penalty in the ninth minute.
Then, in the 38th minute, he received a low pass and buried it in the corner to make history.
He added a second goal later in the match, pushing his total to 18 World Cup goals across six tournaments - surpassing not only Klose's men's record of 16 but also Brazilian great Marta's 17-goal tally in the women's tournament, making Messi the outright all-time leading scorer across both competitions.
Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria secured the defending champions' place in the round of 32, with Messi having scored all five of Argentina's goals in the tournament so far.
What made the moment more profound was what Messi was carrying off the pitch. His father, Jorge, has been under medical care for an undisclosed health issue throughout the tournament - and it was Jorge's illness that caused Messi to wipe away visible tears after his first goal against Algeria a week earlier. Messi's family asked the media for "humanity" as Jorge recovered.
"There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it," Messi said after the match.
True to form, the record-breaking goal was met with the same quiet gesture Messi has used throughout his career - a glance and a point to the sky. The devout Roman Catholic, who has said "I always talk to Him, I thank Him, I ask Him for everything," once again let the celebration speak for itself.
Messi turns 39 on Wednesday and will have at least one more group-stage game - against Jordan on June 28 - to extend his record further.
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