Rangnick Blasts Messi's 18th World Cup Goal as Argentina Beats Austria 2-0

Q: Messi is the new goal king, but is Kylian Mbappé already on track to shatter his seemingly untouchable World Cup record?

Yes. Mbappé is already on a realistic path to break, and possibly comfortably surpass, Messi’s new World Cup scoring record. Messi now has 18 World Cup goals after his double against Austria, a mark built across six tournaments and 28 matches. It is a historic total, but Mbappé is unusually close for his age: he has 14 goals in just 15 World Cup appearances across 2018, 2022 and the ongoing 2026 tournament. That leaves him only four behind Messi while still active in this World Cup. The strongest evidence is the scoring rate. Messi’s 18 goals have come at roughly 0.64 per game; Mbappé’s 14 are about 0.93 per game. Mbappé also reached that total much earlier in his career and is still only 27, which likely gives him at least two more World Cups after 2026 if he stays fit and remains a central figure for France. His tournament pedigree also matters. He scored four goals in France’s 2018 title run, won the Golden Boot with eight in 2022, including a hat-trick in the final, and has already added to his total in 2026. Few players in history have shown that level of repeatability on the World Cup stage. Nothing is guaranteed because longevity, injuries and France’s future tournament runs will decide it. But based on age, output and current pace, Mbappé is not just on track to pass Messi’s record — he is the clear favorite among active players to set a new benchmark.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 22

Ralf Rangnick said Austria were hurt by "double standards" after Lionel Messi's opener stood in Argentina's 2-0 win, arguing Alexis Mac Allister fouled Xaver Schlager in the buildup and deserved a review.
Messi still decided the match with 2 goals in Dallas, moving past Miroslav Klose to become the World Cup's outright top scorer on 18 despite missing an early penalty after a VAR check.
Rangnick said Austria were partly to blame for the second goal but praised his side's display, saying they controlled possession for long stretches and produced a "top performance" in the second half.
Austria remain in contention for the knockout stage after opening with a 3-1 win over Jordan, with a final group match against Algeria still to come.