Messi becomes top scorer in World Cup history - how does he stay on top?

When Lionel Messi scored a goal with his trademark left-foot curl in Argentina's second World Cup match against Austria, he wasn't just helping his team get off to a good start. The 38-year-old was also making history by becoming the World Cup's top scorer, reaffirming his status as the king of world football. And there was more, as Messi scored his second goal of the match from a tight angle, beating two defenders and securing a 2-0 victory, sending the defending champions into the group stage.

The Argentine star had a brilliant start to the tournament as Argentina tried to defend their title. With a hat-trick in the opening match, two goals and the record broken in the second, he becomes a strong candidate for the Golden Boot, an award he never won. Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, a feat achieved by only two other players - Just Fontaine of France in 1958 and Jairzinho of Brazil in 1970. No player has managed to score in seven games in a row.

The Inter Miami striker also created the most chances in World Cup history - he is one assist away from surpassing every other player since records began in 1966, according to Opta. He currently shares this record with his idol, Maradona. A new generation of superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Jr may already be making their mark on the tournament, but if they are to claim the crown they will need to surpass Messi.

How is it that Messi - who will turn 39 on Wednesday and has been playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) for three years - still manages to deliver impressive performances in the biggest competition of all? When Messi, then 31, and Argentina were knocked out by France in a seven-goal derby in Russia in 2018, many thought his remarkable World Cup performances might have come to an end. But four years later he captained his team to the trophy in Qatar, scoring seven goals, and now, with four more, he has become the first player to score in six consecutive World Cups.


Olivier Giroud, who was part of the French team that won the 2018 edition, believes that competing with oneself is more important than thinking about the new generation. "Of course, Messi's passion for football is still evident and you can see that it is in his DNA to always want to compete and try to surpass himself more than anyone else," says Giroud. "To play at a high level at our age, it is essential to pay attention to the hygiene of life - how you sleep, your diet and taking care of your body, because that is what you depend on to work. The most important thing is to still have the desire, the motivation, the passion to continue."

Messi is not the only global superstar to continue posing challenges to younger rivals in his mid-30s - tennis star Novak Djokovic is perhaps the most impressive example in recent years. But this requires a combination of relentless dedication to fitness and unshakable self-confidence. "Players know themselves pretty well at this age, so there's not much more to teach them about managing themselves as they get older," says Michael Caulfield, a sports psychologist who has worked in professional football for more than 20 years. "From a physical point of view, they take advantage of every advance in sports science. ButMentally, it's about knowing if they have the ability to deal with the daily routine. They have to be willing to work hard throughout the year on the same things, and if you've been doing this for 25 years, that takes a huge amount of self-discipline. They need to maintain the willpower to go through the rehabilitation process after injuries, knowing that they have already achieved everything. Every elite athlete I've met is willing to try one more time because they love what they do. It's the same reason you still see Bruce Springsteen or Madonna on tour - it's an intrinsic part of who these stars are.

With his performance against Austria, Lionel Messi now has 18 goals in 28 World Cup games, surpassing former Germany striker Miroslav Klose's record of 16. Messi's incredible ability with the ball at his feet has helped to compensate for any loss of athleticism over the years. “Going into this World Cup, I practically wrote Argentina's chances away because I didn't believe they could maintain that level for another tournament,” says Wayne Rooney, part of the Manchester United team that lost the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals to Barcelona, ​​where Messi was the standout performer. "The one thing that age can never take away from players is their ability on the ball. You put him around the box and he has the ability to do things that others can't. It will be interesting to see if that can last for the rest of the tournament. [If it does], it wouldn't be a surprise if we saw him at the next World Cup for Argentina as well."

Generally considered a reserved and humble person, Messi has occasionally demonstrated a desire to enjoy his personal fame, including when he held up his own shirt in front of Real Madrid fans after scoring a stoppage-time winner in an El Clásico in 2017. "When he crosses the white line, he is a very different person," says his former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas in the BBC iPlayer documentary Rivals: Messi vs Ronaldo. "He wants to win at any cost." This relentless desire to succeed can sustain a sporting career long after a star like Messi has achieved everything his discipline has to offer, as well as the love of the game itself. “Athletes always think there is still something to be achieved,” says Caulfield. "They wonder if there is something they haven't completely mastered yet. But more than anything, they want to keep feeling the childlike joy of doing what they love. You see Messi still juggling or doing a rondo, and he still loves football like a boy."

Messi's incredible display was in stark contrast to his perpetual rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing in his sixth World Cup with Portugal. The 41-year-old had little impact on his side's draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo, and those who know him well believe Messi's performance may have weighed on his mind. "Ronaldo must be furious," says Rooney. "Even at 41, he still expects to be the top scorer. But that attitude is part of his greatness. They both pushed each other. They have this self-confidence and arrogance, in a good way, where they know that what they've done they have nothing to prove, and it's up to Mbappe and Haaland to show that they can take control.

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