Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina vs. Australia, but the goal means more than just giving Argentina a 1-0 lead.
By finding the back of the net, Messi collected a goal in his 1,000th appearance as a professional soccer player. It is also the first time in five World Cups that Messi scored a goal in the knockout stage of the tournament.
For Argentina, Messi has now played 169 games and scored 94 goals, both of which are by far records for the country. He now has 789 goals all time in his career playing for Argentina and clubs Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi has reached almost every goal possible for a superstar but still has one milestone remaining. The 35 year-old has not won a World Cup title—something that would cement his legacy in both Argentinian soccer and world soccer history. A win on Saturday would put him and Argentina three wins away from that feat.
