Messi’s 83rd-minute strike against Egypt was his eighth goal of the 2026 World Cup, lifting him ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
The goal capped Argentina’s comeback from 2-0 down after Messi first assisted Cristian Romero’s 79th-minute header; Enzo Fernández later completed a 3-2 win.
His equalizer also erased the damage from a saved 19th-minute penalty and extended his World Cup scoring streak to a record nine straight matches for Argentina.
Messi now has 21 World Cup career goals—two more than Mbappé on the all-time list—and is chasing his first Golden Boot after finishing second in 2022.