Lionel Messi is now the top scorer in World Cup history. Here’s a data-driven look back at his goals
Messi’s success largely come down to his strong control of the ball and his ability to make high-risk shots.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is officially the top scorer in men’s World Cup history. At least for now.
After scoring two goals for his home country in a match against Austria last night, the number of goals Messi has bagged in World Cup matches jumped to 18, surpassing the previous record of 16 goals held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose
Messi made his first World Cup goal in 2006 in the country’s matchup against Serbia and Montenegro. In the 2014 World Cup, he scored four goals. In 2018, he scored one. In 2022, he scored seven. And so far this year in just two games he has scored five.
The key to the player’s success has largely come down to his strong control of the ball and his ability to make shots that would be nearly impossible for anyone else, experts at Northeastern’s NetSI Sport research group say.
But Messi may not hold the record for long, as France’s Kylian Mbappé is hot on his heels with a total of 16 World Cup goals.
Read more World Cup analysis on NGN Offside →
Below are graphics produced by Northeastern’s NetSI Sport research group breaking down each of Messi’s World Cup goals over the course of his career.
Data analysis provided by Brennan Klein, director for Northeastern University’s NetSI Sport research group.
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