Messi Becomes World Cup's All-Time Leader in Assists as Well as Goals

Lionel Messi added two more milestones to his World Cup legacy in Argentina's round of 16 win over Egypt. His assist for Cristian Romero's equaliser in the 79th minute was his ninth of the tournament, taking him past Diego Maradona's mark of eight and making him the all-time leader in World Cup assists.

Messi then scored the equaliser himself four minutes later, his 21st World Cup goal, which keeps him as the outright top scorer in the competition's history. That strike also gave him eight goals for this edition alone, putting him clear at the top of the Golden Boot race ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. He has now scored in nine straight World Cup matches, a run going back to Argentina's title-winning campaign in 2022.

Not everything went his way, though. Messi missed a penalty in the first half, his second missed spot kick of this tournament and the fourth of his World Cup career from just eight attempts — a record no other player has matched.