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Argentina will lock horns against Austria in their upcoming Group J clash at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, June 22 at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington. However, all eyes will be on Argentina's Lionel Messi, as he is going through red-hot form.
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The Inter Miami star smashed a superb hat-trick in Argentina's Group J opener against Algeria, where the South American side emerged victorious by a score-line of 3-0. The upcoming clash will be a big one as well because Messi can add two more records under his cap.
Let's take a look at the records which could be broken by Messi tonight:
1. All-time Men's World Cup goalscoring record
After amassing a stunning hat-trick against Algeria, Messi drew level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-top scorer in men's World Cup history with 16 goals. If Messi scores just one goal against Austria, he will become the highest goalscorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup with 17 goals.
2. Most consecutive World Cup games with a goal
Messi managed to maintain a streak of scoring in five consecutive World Cup games, which was carried over from his title-winning campaign in 2022. If Messi scores against Austria would make it six straight World Cup games with a goal, matching the all-time tournament record jointly held by Just Fontaine (France and Jaizinho (Brazil)
Messi's red-hot form in FIFA World Cup
For a long period of time, Lionel Messi was slammed for not performing as per the expectations with the Argentina national team. However, things started to change with the 2021 edition of Copa America, where the Messi-led side emerged victorious. In the 2022 edition of FIFA World Cup, Messi dropped one of the most iconic individual campaigns.
The Argentine icon scored seven goals and gathered three assists to lead Argentina win the marquee tournament since 1986. With Messi starting the ongoing edition of FIFA World Cup on a high-note, it would be interesting to see if Lionel Scaloni's side could continue their momentum.
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