Lionel Messi has matched the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record, marking a significant milestone in the tournament's history. The 38-year-old Argentine forward scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, bringing his total World Cup goals to 16, the same number achieved by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. In addition to equalling the scoring record, Messi also holds the record for the most World Cup appearances, having played in 27 matches across multiple tournaments.

The World Cup has seen a number of remarkable records since its inception. Messi’s accomplishment puts him among other notable milestones in the competition’s history. For example, French striker Just Fontaine scored an impressive 13 goals during the 1958 tournament, all in a single World Cup event, a record that still stands. Russian forward Oleg Salenko holds the record for the most goals in one match, with five goals in Russia’s 6-1 win over Cameroon in 1994, despite his team being eliminated at the group stage.

Other remarkable individual records include Turkish player Hakan Sükür’s fastest-ever World Cup goal, scored just 11 seconds into a match in 2002. Conversely, Uruguay’s José Batista holds the record for the quickest sending-off, receiving a red card after just 56 seconds in 1986. British referee Graham Poll is remembered for an unusual incident in 2006, when he mistakenly awarded three yellow cards to Croatian player Josip Simunic in a single match.

Argentina’s Diego Maradona stands out as the most fouled player in World Cup history, having been fouled 152 times over four tournaments. In terms of physical stature, Austria’s goalkeeper Florian Wiegele is the tallest player to participate in a World Cup, standing at 6 feet 9 inches.

The tournament has also produced some of the highest-scoring matches on record, including Austria’s 7-5 win over Switzerland in 1954 and Hungary’s 10-1 victory against El Salvador in 1982. Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside remains the youngest player to feature in a World Cup match, making his debut at 17 years and 41 days during the 1982 event. On the other end of the spectrum, Egypt’s goalkeeper Essam El Hadary was the oldest player to appear in a World Cup, playing at 45 years and 161 days in 2018.

Other notable figures include Brazil’s Pelé, who holds the record for the most World Cup titles with three and was also the youngest goal-scorer in 1958 at age 17. Cameroon’s Roger Milla became the oldest goal-scorer at age 42 in the 1994 tournament. The World Cup’s largest recorded attendance was 173,850 spectators during the 1950 match between Brazil and Uruguay, while the lowest attendance was just 300 in a 1930 game between Romania and Peru. Additionally, France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first-ever World Cup goal in 1930 in front of 4,444 fans.

The 1934 tournament held the fewest matches, with only 17 played, and the Dutch East Indies are the only team to have played just a single match in 1938. The 2022 World Cup set a record for stoppage time, with 24 minutes added during England’s 6-2 victory over Iran. As Messi embraces this latest milestone, the tournament continues to produce memorable moments and records that highlight its unique place in world sport.