The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the stage for new historic milestones this Tuesday (17).
Amid standout performances, stars Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi reached remarkable scoring marks in World Cup history.
The French forward was the star of France’s 3-1 win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium.
With two goals in the match, the No. 10 reached 14 World Cup goals, surpassing Pelé’s mark of 12 goals.
Despite cementing his name in history, Mbappé remained humble when asked about the achievement.
“He is the King, the best,” the forward replied, choosing to shift the spotlight away from himself and pay tribute to the three-time Brazilian world champion.
A few hours later, it was Lionel Messi’s turn to make even more World Cup history.
The Argentine star scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Algeria and reached 16 World Cup goals, drawing level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring chart.
When commenting on the honor of being at the top, even above Ronaldo Nazário, Messi played down the impact of the records.
“I think it means nothing. In the end, they are statistics and nothing more. Although I’m proud to compete with all of them, it means nothing to me.”
The Argentine also had words of praise for Ronaldo Nazário, describing him as “one of the greatest I’ve ever seen,” reinforcing his view that performances on the pitch transcend the metrics of the history books.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
