Lionel Messi once again etched his name deeper into World Cup history, coming off the bench to score and help Argentina secure a 3-1 victory over Jordan in their final group-stage match on Saturday.
The Argentine captain, who celebrated his 39th birthday three days earlier, needed only a brief appearance to continue his remarkable scoring streak.
Messi netted his seventh consecutive World Cup goal, becoming the first player to find the net in seven straight matches at the tournament.
His milestone strike arrived in the 80th minute after he was fouled just outside the penalty area.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner calmly curled a low free kick through a gap in Jordan’s defensive wall and into the bottom-left corner.
The goal was Messi’s 19th at the FIFA World Cup, extending his record as the highest-scoring player in men’s tournament history. It also marked his 72nd career goal from a direct free kick and his 12th such strike for Argentina.
Messi now boasts 123 international goals in 202 appearances for his country, placing him second on the all-time men’s international scoring chart behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 145 goals.
Before Saturday’s achievement, Messi shared the record of scoring in six consecutive World Cup matches with France legend Just Fontaine and Brazil icon Jairzinho.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he is running out of words to describe Messi’s accomplishments.
“What you’re seeing, I’m seeing the same thing,” Scaloni said through a translator. “It’s a little bit of an uncomfortable situation every single time people ask because I no longer know what to say.”
