Football history was made again on Sunday as Lionel Messi once again showed why he is still one of the greatest to ever play the game. Coming off the bench during Argentina’s final FIFA World Cup 2026 group-stage match against Jordan, the veteran forward produced yet another memorable moment and added another record to his extraordinary career.
With a stunning late free-kick, Messi became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in seven consecutive matches, extending a remarkable run that began during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup campaign.
Messi creates another World Cup record
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni rested Messi at the start, naming the captain among the substitutes for the Group I clash at Dallas Stadium.
The decision also marked Argentina’s first World Cup starting XI without Messi since the 2006 quarter-final defeat to Germany.
However, the 39-year-old did not have to wait long to make an impact. Introduced just after the hour mark, Messi immediately brought greater control and creativity to Argentina’s attack before producing a trademark moment of brilliance late in the game.
In the 80th minute he curled a superb free-kick over the wall and into the net to seal another victory for Argentina and write his name into the record books once again.
7 straight goals in World Cup matches
The streak of goals scored by Messi began in the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
He started his run with a goal against Australia in the Round of 16 and then scored against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Croatia in the semi-finals.
Messi scored twice in the World Cup final against France, including an extra-time goal, as Argentina won the trophy.
He carried that form into the 2026 tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria. His goal against Jordan made it seven consecutive World Cup matches with at least one goal, a feat no other player has achieved.
Golden Boot race heats up
Messi’s latest strike also strengthened his position in the race for the Golden Boot.
The Argentine captain now has 19 FIFA World Cup goals overall, extending his record as the competition’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer.
He also moved two goals clear of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland, who are chasing him in the race to finish as the tournament’s highest scorer.
Sixth World Cup brings another milestone
The 2026 tournament is Messi’s sixth FIFA World Cup, making him the first men’s footballer to feature in six editions of the competition.
His World Cup journey began in Germany in 2006 and has continued through South Africa (2010), Brazil (2014), Russia (2018), Qatar (2022) and now the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
Across two decades, Messi has continued to break records while remaining the driving force behind Argentina’s success.
Argentina carry winning momentum into knockouts
Argentina finished the group phase with three wins on the bounce and now turn their focus to the knockout stages.
With Messi still providing moments of magic on football’s biggest stage despite being benched, Argentina will go into the next round as one of the strongest favourites to claim the FIFA World Cup 2026 crown. As long as their captain keeps conjuring moments of magic, the reigning world champions will believe another deep run is a distinct possibility
