Messi leads, Mbappe chases: The battle for World Cup scoring record

Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into football history on Monday by becoming the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer. The Argentine captain scored twice in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria in Texas, taking his career World Cup tally to 18 goals and surpassing the previous record of 16 shared with Miroslav Klose.

Messi had equaled Klose's mark with a brilliant hat-trick against Algeria the previous week before breaking the record with his latest brace. His goals helped secure Argentina's place in the knockout stage and reinforced his status as one of the greatest players in football history.