Lionel Messi scored his 20th goal in World Cup history, during Argentina's victory over Cape Verde in the round of 32 on Friday evening, improving his historic record and strengthening his dominance as the tournament's all-time top scorer.

The Flea opened the scoring in the 29th minute at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, following a brilliant pass from Lisandro Martínez, before controlling the ball precisely and firing it with his left foot into the net.

Messi, 39, raised his tally to 7 goals in just 4 matches in the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first player in history to score in 8 consecutive World Cup matches, an unprecedented achievement added to his illustrious record.

The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner extended the gap over his closest rival, Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who has 18 World Cup goals, despite the latter scoring twice on Tuesday against Sweden (3-0) to bring his tally to 6 goals in the current tournament.

Messi also set another record by playing his 30th World Cup match, surpassing all players in history, including German legend Lothar Matthäus who stopped at 25 matches.