Messi's opening goal in the 29th minute increased his tally to seven goals at the 2026 World Cup and 20 goals in the tournament's history. He became the first player to reach the 20-goal mark at the World Cup, extending his own record.

Messi celebrates Argentina's opening goal in the 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at Miami Gardens, Florida, on 3/7. *Photo: AP*.

This goal also marked the eighth consecutive match Messi has scored in at the World Cup. The previous record of seven consecutive matches belonged to the Argentine superstar himself. The players with the next best records are Just Fontaine (France) in 1958 and Jairzinho (Brazil) in 1970, with six matches each. Had he not missed a penalty in the upset loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup, the Argentine forward could have achieved a streak of 11 consecutive matches with a goal.

Beyond increasing his goal tally, Messi also set another milestone in knockout stage matches. This marks the 12th instance he has directly contributed to a goal in the World Cup knockout rounds, comprising six goals and six assists. This achievement places the Argentina captain above both Pele and Kylian Mbappe as the player with the most direct goal contributions in knockout stages since data began being recorded in 1966. Mbappe has scored 10 goals and provided one assist in these rounds, while Pele recorded seven goals and four assists.

The goal against Cape Verde also allowed Messi to further extend his record for the most opening goals in a World Cup match. He has scored the first goal in a match 11 times, nearly double the tally of his closest pursuers: Christian Vieri, Ronaldo Nazario, and David Villa, who each have six such goals.

Messi also became the player with the most goals scored against teams from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in World Cup history, with seven goals.

Another unique record was set with this goal. When Messi, aged 39, scored against the aged 40 goalkeeper Vozinha, the combined age of the goalscorer and the beaten goalkeeper reached 79 years and 61 days. This is the highest combined age in World Cup history.

Against Cape Verde, Messi continued to be central to Argentina's play. In the first half alone, he took three shots, with two on target, and scored from his first clear opportunity. The aged 39 forward also engaged in nine duels, winning four situations and creating several chances with wing switches and his signature moves.

After four matches at the 2026 World Cup, Messi has scored seven goals, accounting for a significant portion of the defending champions' offensive power. He also took 17 of Argentina's first 36 shots in the tournament, equivalent to 47%.

This match also marked Messi's 30th appearance at the World Cup, an achievement no other player has reached. Before this year's tournament, he already held the record for most World Cup matches played and continues to extend that lead.

Despite these milestones, Argentina was still held to a 1-1 draw by Cape Verde, after Deroy Duarte scored in the 59th minute.

By Hoang An.