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You can't write about Lionel Messi without marveling at the magic.
And after two decades of that magic, Messi's name can't be written without also considering its place in the history of the world's most popular sport.
Messi, the all-time leading scorer in the history of the World Cup.
Messi, with a left foot that defies all belief.
Messi, the little man who has lifted all of Argentina on its shoulders, who has made it cool for kids not just in his own country but around the world to wear the blue-and-white stripes of a No. 10 Argentina jersey or a pink Inter Miami jersey.
There has never been a footballer quite like Messi, and there will never be one again.
Now 38 years old, he opened this World Cup with a hat trick against Algeria, and he was just getting started.
On Monday in Dallas, Messi needed just one goal to become the competition's all-time leading scorer, but that was put on hold when he pulled a penalty wide right, keeping his tie with Miroslav Klose intact -- for about half an hour.
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Lionel Messi's record-setting goals
Late in the first half, Messi made the record-setting goal one that was just a bit cooler, running onto a pulled-back pass and slotting his lefty shot into the bottom left corner, as he has done so many times.
Messi added another in stoppage time of the second half, with Argentina still trying to put its 1-0 lead to bed, as he worked in a crowded box and found an opening to deposit his own blocked-shot rebound into the back of the net.
Of note: He also broke Marta's World Cup all-time record with that second goal.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 22, 2026MORE: Cape Verde captures the magic of sports
This is his sixth World Cup. Before Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo reached that mark in this tournament, no one had ever done it.
But while his chief rival Ronaldo was sputtering in Portugal's opener, Messi was notching five goals through two games.
He's doing what Tom Brady did in the NFL, and what LeBron James is doing in the NBA. These legends have defied time.
Messi, in a game that one would think has gotten too fast and too physical for a man of his stature and age, has continued to pull all the strings like a master puppeteer.
He spends much of his matches waiting, but when he springs into action, the whole pitch revolves around Argentina's No. 10.
Sometimes he passes, sometimes he shoots, sometimes he dribbles as if the ball is attached to his foot.
Almost always, Messi does something that makes us all marvel.
Many words in the English language that begin with the letter 'm' can be used to try and describe Messi in alliterative fashion: Marvelous. Magnificent. Magical. Masterful.
None of them quite do him justice, those.
Messi is above comparison, above adjectives, above worthy descriptions.
At this stage of his career, there's only one word that is needed, one that has grown from his name into the synonym by which international football will now define the greatest of all time:
Messi.
English (US)