The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who celebrates his 39th birthday this Wednesday, opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a clinical, low left-footed strike—bouncing back effortlessly after missing an early penalty. He then solidified his place in history with a second goal in stoppage time. The double performance took his current tournament tally to five goals, breaking his tie with Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who previously shared the record at 16 goals.

With this achievement, Messi distances himself from fellow football icons on the all-time list; Brazilian legend Ronaldo sits in third place with 15 World Cup goals, while France’s Kylian Mbappé follows closely behind with 14 goals as he continues his chase.