Argentina captain’s ninth-minute miss created a unique piece of FIFA World Cup history, adding to a statistical record that now sits alongside his remarkable goalscoring achievementsLionel Messi eventually found not just one but two goals that moved him clear as the highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history, but before reaching those landmarks against Austria on Monday, the Argentina captain added his name to a very different section of the record books.The 39th-minute goal that put Argentina ahead in their Group J clash ensured that Lionel Messi moved onto 17 World Cup goals, moving beyond Germany’s Miroslav Klose. He then added a second deep into stoppage time, taking his tally to 18 and extending his lead as the outright all-time top scorer in World Cup history across both men’s and women’s competitions. Messi now has five goals in just two matches at the 2026 tournament, following his opening-day hat-trick against Algeria. With this 2-0 win, Argentina have officially secured their place in the knockout rounds, while Messi has also equalled records held by France’s Just Fontaine, the legendary striker who scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, and Brazil’s Jairzinho, a key figure in Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning side who scored in every match of that tournament. He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, underlining his remarkable consistency on football’s biggest stage.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, center, scores the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Yet the most intriguing statistical development of the afternoon had arrived much earlier when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner missed a penalty that, for a brief period, delayed his pursuit of the goalscoring record.That miss did more than postpone history. It established Messi as the outright holder of two separate World Cup penalty records, one reflecting his longevity and Argentina’s repeated deep runs at the tournament, the other highlighting a surprisingly complicated relationship with penalties on football’s biggest stage.
How the missed penalty unfolded
The opportunity arrived in the ninth minute after a lengthy VAR review. Lautaro Martínez had broken into the penalty area before being challenged by Austria’s Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch. While Schlager appeared to make contact with the ball, officials determined that Posch’s challenge on Martínez warranted a penalty after reviewing the incident.Play continued for more than a minute while Martínez remained on the turf before the referee eventually halted proceedings and consulted the pitchside monitor.The decision gave Messi the chance to score his 17th World Cup goal and move clear of Klose immediately.Instead, his left-footed effort drifted wide of the right post.
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) dives for the ball as Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s shot goes wide during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Sam Hodde)
At that moment, Messi remained tied with Klose on 16 World Cup goals. More significantly for the purposes of statistical history, he had registered the third missed penalty of his World Cup career.
Messi now owns two World Cup penalty records
The miss against Austria was Messi’s seventh penalty attempt in normal World Cup play, excluding penalty shootouts.No player in the history of the competition has taken more.It also became his third unsuccessful penalty, moving him clear of former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan and giving him sole possession of another World Cup record.Messi therefore now stands alone as the player with both the most penalties taken and the most penalties missed in FIFA World Cup history, excluding shootouts.His overall record currently stands at four successful conversions from seven attempts.Before Monday’s match, Messi had shared the unwanted record for most misses with Gyan, whose two failures came against the Czech Republic in 2006 and in one of the most dramatic moments in World Cup history against Uruguay in the 2010 quarter-finals. On that occasion, after Luis Suárez handled the ball on the goal line and was sent off, Gyan struck the resulting penalty against the crossbar in the final moments of extra time, denying Ghana a place in the semi-finals.Messi’s miss against Austria moved him beyond Gyan and into sole possession of the record.
A World Cup penalty story spanning three tournaments
What makes the record particularly striking is how it has unfolded across three separate World Cups. Messi’s first World Cup penalty came against Iceland at Russia 2018. With Argentina level at 1-1, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson.Four years later in Qatar, he converted against Saudi Arabia before suffering another setback when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny denied him during the group stage.The remainder of that tournament transformed his penalty narrative.Messi converted against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, Croatia in the semi-finals and France in the final, producing three of the most important goals of Argentina’s title-winning campaign.Against Austria in 2026, another miss was added to the list.His World Cup penalty record now consists of successful efforts against Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Croatia and France, alongside misses against Iceland, Poland and Austria.The numbers reveal an unusual contrast. Messi has become one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the competition, yet penalties have often represented one of the few areas where vulnerability has occasionally appeared.
Where Cristiano Ronaldo and other greats rank
The volume of Messi’s penalty attempts separates him from virtually every other player in World Cup history.Cristiano Ronaldo, often compared with Lionel Messi across a two-decade international career, has scored three of his four World Cup penalties.The Portugal captain scored against Iran in 2006, Spain in 2018 and Ghana in 2022. His only miss came later in the 2018 tournament when Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand saved his effort during a 1-1 draw.Ronaldo therefore finished his World Cup career with three goals and one miss from four penalty attempts.Several other legendary players also feature prominently in the tournament’s penalty records:
- England Captain Harry Kane has taken five World Cup penalties, scoring four and missing one.
- Portugal great Eusébio converted all four of his World Cup penalties without a miss.
- Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta likewise scored all four of his attempts.
- Netherlands forward Rob Rensenbrink also maintained a perfect record, converting four penalties from four attempts.
Messi’s total of seven attempts remains unmatched, while his four successful conversions place him alongside some of the most effective penalty takers the tournament has seen.
A record built on longevity and opportunity
The reason Messi owns both records is not simply accuracy or inaccuracy, it is largely a reflection of longevity, opportunity and Argentina’s sustained success across multiple tournaments.Monday’s match against Austria was his FIFA-record 28th World Cup appearance and came during his sixth World Cup campaign. Less than a week earlier, he had scored a hat-trick against Algeria in his 200th international appearance, exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut.Few players have played enough World Cup matches to accumulate seven penalty opportunities. Even fewer have done so while remaining central to their national team’s attack for nearly two decades.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi leaves the field after the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
That longevity has placed Messi in a unique statistical category.Before halftime against Austria, his penalty miss briefly set an unwanted record. But he quickly responded, breaking the all-time men’s World Cup scoring record with his 17th goal in the 39th minute, and again, deep into stoppage time, he added an 18th to extend his lead further and seal Argentina’s 2-0 victory.The goalscoring record will inevitably dominate the headlines. The penalty records, however, provide a fascinating reminder that even the most accomplished World Cup career ever assembled has contained moments of frustration alongside moments of greatness.In Messi’s case, both happened on the same afternoon.
