Sunday, July 5, 2026

Al Jazeera - Sports:

Argentina captain Lionel Messi continued to make history at the 2026 World Cup, scoring another goal in his country's Round of 32 match against Cape Verde, setting a new record by netting at least one goal in eight consecutive tournament matches.

Messi's goal came in the 29th minute, taking his all-time World Cup tally to 20 goals, extending his lead at the top of the tournament's all-time scoring list, two goals ahead of second-placed Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.

The Argentine star also increased his tally to seven goals in the current edition, taking the lead in the race for the Golden Boot award.

Messi continues to compete with several top strikers in the tournament, with Mbappé in second place with six goals, while Erling Haaland of Norway and England's Harry Kane each have five goals, followed by France's Ousmane Dembélé, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil's Vinícius Júnior, and Senegal's Ismaïla Sarr, all with four goals each.

Despite his illustrious career, Messi has never won the Golden Boot at the World Cup; he finished as runner-up in 2022 with seven goals behind Mbappé who scored eight, and shared third place with four goals in 2014.

According to FIFA regulations, if players are tied for the top of the scoring chart at the end of the tournament, the winner of the Golden Boot is determined first by the number of assists, then by the fewest minutes played.

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