20 goals, 9 assists, 8 consecutive matches / Lionel Messi’s absolute records after the win over Cape Verde

Another match, another broken record! Messi continues to write history at the World Cup.

If the opening goal was enough to attract attention, what happened after the final whistle was even more extraordinary. Lionel Messi, Argentina’s captain, continued to make history in the match against Cape Verde, setting new records for both goals and assists in the World Cup.

The king of assists, a new historic record

Messi does not stand out only as a goal scorer, but also as a playmaker. With the assist recorded in this match, he has become the player with the most assists in World Cup history, surpassing Diego Armando Maradona’s record of eight.

The ranking of players with the most assists in history is now:

Lionel Messi — 9 assists

Diego Maradona — 8 assists

Pierre Littbarski — 7 assists

Grzegorz Lato — 7 assists

The first player to reach 20 goals

The night began with Messi’s goal giving Argentina the lead, a strike that took him to 20 World Cup goals. With this figure, he becomes the first player in history to reach this milestone.

The list of the best goalscorers in the history of the tournament is:

Lionel Messi — 20 goals

Kylian Mbappé — 18 goals

Miroslav Klose — 16 goals

Ronaldo (The Phenomenon) — 15 goals

Gerd Müller — 14 goals

Harry Kane — 13 goals

Just Fontaine — 13 goals

Eight consecutive matches with a goal

Messi has set another historic record, becoming the first footballer to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches. The streak began at Qatar 2022, with goals against Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and France, and continued in the 2026 edition against Algeria, Austria, Jordan, and Cape Verde.

With seven goals scored in this World Cup, the Argentine captain also leads the tournament’s scoring chart, currently holding the Golden Boot.

Argentina continues its journey toward the next stage, led by a Lionel Messi who keeps breaking record after record and strengthening his place among the greatest figures in football history.

“KORÇA BOOM”