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Messi's Five Goals Crown Him Leader, Marks 39th Birthday

6/25/2026

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Summary

Messi Birthday Celebration

Lionel Messi celebrated his 39th birthday at the Kansas City training base after scoring all five Argentine goals and becoming the tournament’s career scoring leader.
Teammates wore T-shirts with personal photos of the captain.
Around 5,000 children in Rosario sang “Happy Birthday” while some brought cakes.
Argentina advanced to the Round of 32 after 3-0 wins over Algeria and 2-0 wins over Austria.

Summary

Ronaldo Sets Record

Cristiano Ronaldo became the second-oldest World Cup scorer at 41 years, 138 days, behind Roger Milla.
Ronaldo’s goal pushed Lionel Messi down to fourth on the oldest-scorer list after Messi’s strike at 38 years, 363 days versus Austria.
Edin Dzeko and Luka Modric, both 40, could overtake Messi because goalkeepers older than Messi—including Manuel Neuer, Vozinha and Fernando Muslera—have never scored in any World Cup.

Summary

Messi Rejects Retirement

Lionel Messi said he has no retirement plans, will keep playing while fit for Argentina, and demonstrated his 39-year-old fitness with a video of perfect pull-ups at the Albiceleste base.
Lionel Scaloni said he may rest Messi and other stars for the Group J match against Jordan to preserve the captain’s form.
Gabby Agbonlahor speculated a surprise move to Aston Villa could see Messi lead the club to domestic and European success.

History

Historical Context

Roger Milla, who at 42 years and 39 days scored against Russia in the 1994 World Cup, broke his own 1990 record as the tournament’s oldest goal-scorer. His feat opened a pattern of veteran impact, later echoed when Lionel Messi (39) and Cristiano Ronaldo (41) scored for Argentina and Portugal in Qatar 2022. The trend pushes national teams to reconsider age limits for future squads.

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Messi Birthday Celebration

Lionel Messi celebrated his 39th birthday at the Kansas City training base after scoring all five Argentine goals and becoming the tournament’s career scoring leader.
Teammates wore T-shirts with personal photos of the captain.
Around 5,000 children in Rosario sang “Happy Birthday” while some brought cakes.
Argentina advanced to the Round of 32 after 3-0 wins over Algeria and 2-0 wins over Austria.

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