Argentina captain Lionel Messi further strengthened his claim as one of football’s greatest-ever players after becoming the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer.

The 38-year-old reached a historic milestone on Monday, scoring twice against Austria to take his World Cup tally to 18 goals, surpassing former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who previously held the record with 16 goals.

Read Also: Lionel Messi becomes World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer

Messi had already drawn level with Klose after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria at the FIFA 2026 World Cup. His latest goals moved him clear at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring chart.

Here is a look at the 10 leading goalscorers in FIFA World Cup history.

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Goals: 18
World Cup appearances: Six

2006 – 1 goal
2010 – 0 goals
2014 – 4 goals
2018 – 1 goal
2022 – 7 goals
2026 – 5 goals (so far)

Matches played: 28

2. Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Goals: 16
World Cup appearances: Four

2002 – 5 goals
2006 – 5 goals
2010 – 4 goals
2014 – 2 goals

Matches played: 24

3. Ronaldo (Brazil)

Goals: 15
World Cup appearances: Four

1994 – 0 goals
1998 – 4 goals
2002 – 8 goals
2006 – 3 goals

Matches played: 19

4. Gerd Müller (West Germany)

Goals: 14
World Cup appearances: Two

1970 – 10 goals
1974 – 4 goals

Matches played: 13

5. Kylian Mbappe (France)

Goals: 14
World Cup appearances: Three

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2018 – 4 goals
2022 – 8 goals
2026 – 2 goals (so far)

Matches played: 15

6. Just Fontaine (France)

Goals: 13
World Cup appearances: One (1958)

Matches played: 6

7. Pelé (Brazil)

Goals: 12
World Cup appearances: Four

1958 – 6 goals
1962 – 1 goal
1966 – 1 goal
1970 – 4 goals

Matches played: 14

8. Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)

Goals: 11
World Cup appearances: Three

1990 – 3 goals
1994 – 5 goals
1998 – 3 goals

Matches played: 17

9. Sándor Kocsis (Hungary)

Goals: 11
World Cup appearances: One (1954)

Matches played: 5

10. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

Goals: 10
World Cup appearances: Three

1994 – 4 goals
1998 – 5 goals
2002 – 1 goal

Matches played: 12

Also on 10 goals

Teófilo Cubillas (Peru)

Goals: 10
Matches: 13

Harry Kane (England)

Goals: 10
Matches: 12

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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