Messi rewrites record books again in Cape Verde thriller

Lionel Messi turned Argentina's nerve-wracking 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde into another night of history-making at the 2026 World Cup, with the Argentina captain toppling record after record in a Round of 32 clash that saw the reigning champions pushed to the brink before prevailing at Miami Stadium on Saturday (July 4-BST).

Here's a rundown of the milestones Messi set

30 — Messi became the first men's footballer in history to make 30 appearances at a FIFA World Cup.

20 — He also became the first player ever to reach 20 career World Cup goals, extending his own scoring record.

5 — Messi became the third player in World Cup history to score in five consecutive knockout-stage matches, joining Hungary's György Sárosi (1934-38) and Brazil's Vavá (1958-62).

14 — Messi has now scored 14 World Cup goals since turning 35 — more than every other player over that age combined in World Cup history, who have managed just 25 between them.

79 — When the 39-year-old Messi scored past 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, their combined age of 79 years and 61 days became the oldest scorer-goalkeeper pairing in a World Cup goal on record.

7 — Messi became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score seven or more goals in two separate editions of the tournament, having done so in both 2022 and 2026.

12 — His knockout-stage goal contributions now stand at 12 (6 goals, 6 assists), the most by any player, surpassing Pelé and Kylian Mbappé, who each had 11.

1 — He now needs just one more goal to equal Guillermo Stábile's record for most goals by an Argentine at a single World Cup (8 goals, set in 1930).

6 — Messi has directly contributed to 10 goals in Argentina's last six World Cup knockout matches — six goals scored himself and four assists.

14 — Of the 22 different national teams Messi has faced across his World Cup career, he has scored against 14 of them.

The match itself was one of the tournament's most dramatic: Cape Verde, appearing in their first-ever World Cup, twice fought back to level the score before Cristian Romero's header deflected in off Diney Borges in the 111th minute to finally settle it in Argentina's favour. Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute, only for Deroy Duarte and then Sidny Lopes Cabral to cancel out Argentina's lead in normal and extra time respectively.

With the win, Argentina advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Egypt in Atlanta on July 7 — a first-ever World Cup meeting between Messi and Mohamed Salah.