Lionel Messi has done it again. On a night when the Argentine captain was expected to take a back seat, he delivered yet another moment of magic, etching his name deeper into football’s history books.
In Argentina’s final Group J match of the 2026 World Cup against Jordan, the 39-year-old came off the bench in the second half to score a trademark free-kick, securing a 3-1 victory for the reigning world champions. But this was no ordinary goal.
The strike – a low curling effort that skimmed the grass and beat the Jordanian wall – was Messi’s 72nd career free-kick goal (his 12th for Argentina), drawing him level with Brazilian legend Juninho Pernambucano for third place on the all-time list of free-kick scorers. The goal also marked his 123rd international strike in 202 appearances, placing him second only to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 145.
The Updated All-Time Top 10 Free-Kick Scorers:
- 🇧🇷 Marcelino Carioca – 78
- 🇧🇷 Roberto Dinamita – 75
- 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi – 72 🔺
- 🇧🇷 Juninho Pernambucano – 72
- 🇧🇷 Marcos Assunção – 69
- 🇧🇷 Zico – 68
- 🇷🇸 Siniša Mihajlović – 67
- 🇳🇱 Pierre van Hooijdonk – 65
- 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo – 64
- 🇦🇷 Diego Maradona – 61
Messi now sits just six goals behind the record holder, Marcelino Carioca (78), with only Roberto Dinamita (75) standing between him and the summit.
A Night of Records
The goal, scored in the 80th minute, extended Messi’s remarkable World Cup tally to 19 goals, cementing his status as the competition’s all-time leading scorer. It also made him the first player in history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches – a record he now holds outright, surpassing the previous mark of six he shared with France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.
Context and Celebration
Argentina, already assured of top spot in Group J, rested their captain, with Messi starting on the bench. But the 70,649 fans packed into the home of the Dallas Cowboys were desperate to see him, chanting his name from the start of the second half.
He entered the fray in the 60th minute and, with 10 minutes remaining, was fouled just outside the box. He stepped up and delivered – a low, precise shot that left the Jordanian goalkeeper with no chance.
This is Messi’s sixth World Cup appearance, and he now leads the 2026 tournament scoring charts with six goals – two clear of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
As Argentina now look ahead to the knockout stages – the first of potentially five matches in 17 days if they reach the final on July 19 – one question lingers: can Messi complete the ultimate free-kick record?
With six goals to catch Marcelino Carioca, the football world watches on.
