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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Nick Ames at Dallas Stadium

‘He’s the best’: magical Messi becomes World Cup’s all-time leading scorer

Lionel Messi wheels away after scoring his 18th World Cup goal for Argentina
Lionel Messi wheels away after scoring his 18th World Cup goal for Argentina. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

An exhausted Lionel Messi savoured the “special” feeling of becoming the World Cup’s all-time record goalscorer after his double gave Argentina a 2-0 victory over Austria.

Messi broke Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s record, set in 2014, by scoring his 17th goal on this stage seven minutes before half-time, adding another with the final action of the match. He had earlier missed a penalty and admitted his matchwinning contributions were necessary to wash away the taste of that aberration.

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