Lionel Messi Celebrates Birthday While Becoming World Cup All‑Time Top Scorer

Argentina captain Lionel Messi turned 39 during the 2026 World Cup and marked the occasion with teammates at the Kansas City training base. On the same day he scored twice against Austria, bringing his World Cup total to 18 goals and surpassing Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all‑time leading scorer. The 2‑0 win secured Argentina’s top spot in Group J and guaranteed a place in the knockout stage.

Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, shared Instagram photos from Dallas showing her and their three sons—Thiago, Mateo and Ciro—wearing Messi’s iconic number 10 jerseys. The family celebrated his achievement from the stands. In his hometown of Rosario, thousands of schoolchildren sang “Happy Birthday” and handed him cakes, while FIFA, Inter Miami and Barcelona also posted congratulations.

The milestone adds to Messi’s legendary status as Argentina defend their World Cup title and has drawn widespread attention across the football world.