Argentina’s Lionel Messi scored his seventh goal of the 2026 World Cup as the holders edged past Cape Verde in a dramatic 3-2 victory in Miami.
The win secured Argentina’s place in the last 16 and extended Messi’s status as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, with his 20th finals goal coming in the round of 32.
Messi timed his run perfectly onto Lisandro Martinez’s pass, taking the ball in his stride before lifting it over the Cape Verde keeper with his first touch.
Former Scotland forward James McFadden, commentating on BBC Radio 5 Live, described the finish as “just incredible”, adding that the timing of the run and the quality of the first touch were both exceptional.
“The run he makes is beyond the backline and the timing is excellent,” McFadden said, before praising the weight of the pass and calling Messi’s first touch “exquisite.”
ITV pundit Ally McCoist was equally full of admiration, simply calling it “genius at work” and noting that “it’s just one record after another.”
Messi is now the first player, male or female, to score 20 career World Cup goals, and has scored in eight consecutive World Cup appearances, a feat no other player has achieved.
He has also become the first player to score seven or more goals at two separate World Cups, having previously reached that mark at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
His current tally of seven would have made him the top scorer in five of the past six World Cups, and since 1978 his total would have been enough to top the scoring charts in all but two of the 13 tournaments held.
Cape Verde frustrated Argentina for long periods and played with a confidence that belied the gap between the sides in the world rankings, with Argentina ranked second and Cape Verde sitting outside the top 60.
McFadden also noted a different dimension to Messi’s game at this tournament, pointing out that he has been leading Argentina’s press despite his reputation for conserving energy.
“Throughout the years, Messi has walked at times in games to assess what is happening,” McFadden observed, “but here he is getting back to try and win the ball and is leading the press.”
Outside the stadium, the atmosphere had been building hours before kick-off, with supporters lining the streets draped in sky blue and white, beating drums, singing songs and posing beneath giant Argentina flags.
“He’s our hero,” one Argentina fan said before kick-off, while another declared that “he has aged like fine wine” and suggested the older he gets, the better he gets.
If Messi mania exists anywhere outside Argentina, it is perhaps at its strongest in Miami, where his image appears on murals, in shop windows, and across countless pieces of memorabilia throughout the city.
His influence has even extended to Miami’s food scene, with several Argentine restaurants proudly serving the milanesa, a breaded beef or chicken dish thought to be among Messi’s favourites, with some venues naming menu items in his honour.
For many supporters around the world, this World Cup represents another opportunity to watch one of football’s greatest players continue to make history at the age of 39.
