Every time Lionel Messi touches the ball, the entire Dallas stadium seems to hold its breath waiting for the historic moment. And then what tens of thousands of spectators were waiting for finally came.
In the 38th minute, Messi received the ball in the Austrian half, performed a familiar handling before launching a left-footed shot to defeat goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. In just a moment, the silent atmosphere turned into a sea of enthusiastic sounds.
Spectators simultaneously chanted Messi's name. Argentine fans sang, danced and celebrated when their captain officially surpassed Miroslav Klose to become the top scorer in men's World Cup history.
Even Messi's teammates could not hide their emotions. They rushed to hug him to celebrate their 17th goal at the World Cup, a special milestone in Argentina's football history.
It is worth mentioning that Messi made this feat nearly 20 years after his first goal at the World Cup, scored against Serbia & Montenegro in 2006. That moment also happened exactly 40 years after Diego Maradona's famous goal at the 1986 World Cup.
In injury time, the superstar born in 1987 continued to score another goal, thereby surpassing female football legend Marta to become the player with the most goals in World Cup history in both men's and women's categories.
If the debate about the title of greatest player of all time still exists, then the performance in Dallas is Messi's strongest affirmation. With 5 goals in just 2 matches at the 2026 World Cup, he is showing that he is still central in Argentina's journey to defend the throne.
Few people expected that historic day to start with a moment of regret. Right in the first 10 minutes of the match, Argentina was awarded a penalty after Lautaro Martinez was fouled in the penalty area. All eyes were on Messi when he put the ball on the 11m spot.
The whole stadium was immersed in silence. Tens of thousands of phones were pointed at the Argentine captain, waiting for the historic moment. However, Messi's shot went wide of the goal.
The cheers of Austrian fans echoed amidst the astonishment of Argentine fans. Messi covered his face in disappointment, and the atmosphere on the field immediately became heavy.
That was his third missed penalty at the World Cup, not counting penalties. After the missed shot, Messi and his teammates were somewhat out of sync. The Austrian team took advantage of the opportunity to push up the squad and create their best playing time in the match.
However, like many times in his career, El Pulga has known how to get up after failure.
Argentina gradually regained control of the game after a drinking break in the middle of the first half. Lionel Scaloni's team completely controlled the match and waited for the moment the number one star spoke up.
When Messi plays excitedly, the whole team is inspired. Even when facing difficulties, he still fights non-stop. It's hard to find words to describe what Messi brings to the team" - coach Scaloni shared after the match.
For his part, Messi admitted he was very disappointed with the missed penalty: "I was very angry because I did too badly. But the important thing is that we won and got 3 points.
When the match ended, more than 70,000 spectators at Dallas Stadium stood up to applaud the Argentine legend. This was not only a celebration of a victory or a new record, but also an honor for one of the greatest players in world football history.
