Argentina captain Lionel Messi added another chapter to his remarkable career on Monday, becoming the outright highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history before scoring again to guide Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria in their Group J clash in Dallas.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner entered the match level with Germany great Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals after scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening game. His first goal against Austria, in the 39th minute, took him to 17 goals and moved him clear of Klose into sole possession of the record.
Advertisement
Messi then added a second goal in stoppage time to take his World Cup tally to 18, extending his lead at the top of the all-time scoring charts and helping the defending champions secure a place in the Round of 32.
The historic night came after an eventful start. Argentina won a penalty in the seventh minute following a VAR review after Lautaro Martinez was brought down inside the box. Messi stepped up but sent his effort wide, missing the chance to break the record from the spot.
Advertisement
Top goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history:
Rank
Player
Country
Goals
1
Lionel Messi
Argentina
18
1
Miroslav Klose
Germany
16
3
Ronaldo
Brazil
15
4
Kylian Mbappe
France
14
4
Gerd Muller
Germany
14
6
Just Fontaine
France
13
Record that stood for 12 years falls
Klose had held the World Cup scoring record since the 2014 tournament, when he surpassed Brazil legend Ronaldo’s tally of 15 goals.
Advertisement
Messi drew level with the former Germany striker during Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, scoring all three goals for the defending champions.
Against Austria, the 39-year-old finally moved ahead of Klose when he converted Medina’s cross in the 39th minute. The goal made him the first player in men’s World Cup history to score 17 goals.
Advertisement
His second goal in the 95th minute further strengthened his grip on the record, taking his tally to 18.
However, Messi could still face a challenge from France captain Kylian Mbappe, who has 14 World Cup goals at the age of 27. Mbappe scored twice against Senegal earlier in the tournament and remains the closest active player to Messi’s tally.
Another milestone in a glittering career
Messi’s latest achievement adds to a long list of records collected during a career spanning more than two decades.
Advertisement
The Argentine captain won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and arrived in the United States, Canada and Mexico for what many believe could be his final appearance at the tournament.
Having already become Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and the country’s most-capped player, Messi now stands alone as the leading scorer in World Cup history.
Advertisement
Argentina continue title defence
Messi’s historic double came as Lionel Scaloni’s side secured a second successive victory in Group J following their opening 3-0 win over Algeria.
Austria pushed Argentina throughout the contest and created several chances of their own, but Messi’s goals in the 39th and 95th minutes proved decisive.
Advertisement
The defending champions are aiming to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully retain the FIFA World Cup title.
Lionel Messi’s goals in each FIFA World Cup edition:
As Lewis Crocker realised a lifetime dream by winning the IBF welterweight title at Windsor Park in his native Belfast last September, predictably, the questions as to what is next quickly followed.
Marquee names such as Conor Benn and Devin Haney were rumoured for a lucrative first defence, while a domestic rematch with Conah Walker was also touted, but instead of home comforts, the 29-year-old finds himself in Brisbane, Australia to face mandatory contender and local favourite Liam Paro on Wednesday.
With Paddy Donovan – whom Crocker had edged in their rematch to claim the title last year to improve to 22 wins from as many contests – withdrawing from a final eliminator against Paro [27-1] in January, the former IBF light-welterweight champion was elevated to mandatory challenger.
Australian promoter No Limit would win the purse bid, edging out Crocker’s promoter Matchroom by $27,000 (£20,000), handing Paro the opportunity to win a world title in his native Queensland.
Advertisement
Roles are somewhat reversed this time, as Paro won his first world title in the 10st division by upsetting the odds in June 2024 against Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias in enemy territory, before returning to the island to be out-pointed by USA’s Richardson Hitchens six months later.
This time, it’s Crocker, 29, who makes the long trip for his maiden defence with Paro enjoying the home support at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Centre, but the Belfast man has adopted a philosophical view.
Despite having won the first fight against Donovan by disqualification, he entered the ring at Windsor Park as an underdog – a role he is keen to play this week to put the pressure on the challenger who appears almost confused by this approach.
“Paro is the odds-on favourite here and everyone is coming to see him,” Crocker said.
Advertisement
“I went through that the last time, so it takes a bit of ease off my mind and I’m prepared.”
May 6, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) in the first half during game two of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
The Brooklyn Nets reportedly added former All-Star forward Julius Randle and moved up five spots in the first round of the draft in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls on Monday, the night before the draft.
According to multiple media outlets, Minnesota dealt Randle and the 28th overall pick in the Tuesday draft to the Nets for the 33rd overall selection.
Brooklyn sent center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls, who in turn shipped forward Mouhamadou Gueye to Minnesota. The Timberwolves reportedly will waive Gueye.
Randle, 31, is due to make $33.3 million in the upcoming season, and he has a player option for $35.8 million for 2027-28.
Advertisement
The three-time All-Star averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season. In a 12-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers (2014-15 to 2017-18), the New Orleans Pelicans (2018-19), the New York Knicks (2019-20 to 2023-24) and Minnesota (2024-25 to 2025-26), he has averaged 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Randle was selected the NBA’s most improved player in 2020-21.
Claxton, 27, has spent each of his seven NBA seasons in Brooklyn. He put up 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest in 69 games (68 starts) last season. His career norms are 10.6, 7.6 and 2.1, respectively.
He is signed for $23.3 million in 2026-27 and $21.1 million in 2027-28.
Advertisement
Gueye, 27, made his NBA debut in 2023-24 for the Toronto Raptors, appearing in 11 games off the bench. He got into two games as a reserve for Chicago last season. Overall, he has averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes.
Trainer Grahame Begg took valuable information from Biologics’ last start, even though the three-year-old filly finished second-last, nearly ten lengths adrift of the winner.
The run at Flemington proved to the Cranbourne-based trainer that the daughter of I Am Invincible struggles on Heavy tracks.
Pinecliff Racing’s filly came through the 1200-metre race on June 6, her first on a surface rated worse than Good, without any issues. Begg has entered her for Saturday’s 1200m 3YO fillies handicap at Caulfield, but her acceptance is dependent on the weather.
“She was going really well into the race and we thought she’d run really well, but the unknown was the ground,” Begg stated.
Advertisement
“Obviously they got rain on the day of the race and it deteriorated and she just wasn’t comfortable at all.”
“She’s nominated, so we’ll see what happens and what the week brings.”
The Caulfield track was recorded as a Soft 7 on Monday. However, with minimal rainfall predicted for Melbourne this week, conditions are expected to improve significantly by raceday.
Biologics would be third-up if she contests the race. Her previous start at Flemington was preceded by a dominant first-up victory over 1100m in a fillies and mares benchmark 62 grade at Werribee.
Advertisement
Prior to that, she had contested a couple of unplaced runs in Stakes company against her own sex last spring, with her sole other start being a maiden win at Pakenham.
Although Begg has not yet committed Biologics to a start, another of his mares, Takeko, is slated to race.
The lightly-raced five-year-old mare will aim to improve her impressive first-up statistics in the $150,000 fillies and mares BM84 over 1100 metres.
Her first-up record shows two wins and a second from three attempts. The daughter of Saxon Warrior indicated potential for another strong fresh run with a second place in a recent Pakenham jumpout.
Advertisement
Luke Cartwright, a jockey claiming 1.5kg, guided Takeko during the jumpout and will be on board for Saturday’s race. Begg expressed enthusiasm for the mare’s return to racing, her first since winning at Moonee Valley on August 9.
“She’s a progressive mare, she’s coming off a bit of a layoff but she’s going well and she’ll come in very well at the weights after the claim,” Begg said.
The betting markets for Takeko’s return are shaping up. Consider exploring the available racing odds on Australian betting sites.
Oba Femi is set to team up with former multi-time WWE World Champion Seth Rollins for the first time. The duo will face The Vision on SmackDown after a thrilling face-off on Monday.
Rollins once again made life miserable for The Vision after costing them the WWE World Tag Team Championships in the main event of RAW. His interference led to The Street Profits dethroning Bron Breakker and Austin Theory. After the cameras stopped rolling on RAW, Femi saved Rollins from The Vision.
Thanks for the submission!
Advertisement
WWE has announced a huge tag team match for SmackDown. Femi will team up with Rollins to face the now-former World Tag Team Champions in London.
Advertisement
Here’s WWE’s official announcement:
Bron Breakker made a huge claim about Seth Rollins before WWE Backlash
Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins are set to collide in a Steel Cage Match at the Night of Champions Premium Live Event. This will mark the trilogy between the former Vision stablemates.
Breakker made a huge claim about Rollins before their match at the Backlash Premium Live Event, stating that The Visionary should leave the business, questioning his passion.
“Stuff that goes through my head when I’m working out is my goals. Where I want to be in a year from now, two years from now, next Saturday. On my mind, on repeat. He’s [Seth Rollins] is probably on his bus right now, having his first coffee cup of the day. Just waking up his sorry a** out of bed. You don’t want this sh*t as bad as I want it anymore. He don’t want this like I want this. He doesn’t need this anymore. He’s got all the money in the world, he’s got all the fame. He’s got everything he ever could have dreamed of to get out of this business. He’s already done it all. I need this match. I need to beat him. It’s the only way, it’s the only way that Bron Breakker and The Vision and my brand and Paul Heyman can move forward in here. If we win, it’s on me.”
Oba Femi will also be in action at Night of Champions. He will face Jey Uso in the final of the King of the Ring Tournament.
Advertisement
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
Seventeen sports will feature at the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, which is set to be staged at around 60 per cent lower cost than previous editions as part of the Commonwealth Sport’s revamped hosting model, CEO Katie Sadleir said on Monday.
The 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, scheduled to begin next month, will be a scaled-down edition featuring 10 able-bodied and six para sports in an effort to deliver a more cost-effective event.
However, the programme will expand significantly for the 2030 Games in Ahmedabad.
“We will be going back up to a programme of 17 sports in Ahmedabad,” Sadleir said in a virtual media briefing.
Advertisement
“And we’re currently working with the Indian Olympic Committee and the Government of India to work through that programme. So, it will go back up,” she added.
Glasgow stepped in to host the 2026 Games after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew in July 2023 because of escalating costs and budget concerns.
As part of its ‘Games Reset’ principles, Commonwealth Sport has sought to drastically reduce hosting costs from the levels seen at previous editions.
Advertisement
“60 per cent is part of our reimagined reset for the future, and it’s definitely where we’re pitching Ahmedabad. Glasgow has done a spectacular job at making a significant reduction on 60 per cent from the Birmingham Games,” Sadleir said.
To put the cost-cutting into perspective, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games cost approximately 780 million pounds, while the 2026 Glasgow edition is expected to be delivered for around 160 million pounds.
“We’ve gone from what was a 780 million-pound Games in Birmingham in 2022, to 160 million-pound Games in Glasgow in 2026,” Chief Executive Officer of the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company, Phil Batty, said.
Batty added that Glasgow’s cost-effective model has been built around the city’s existing infrastructure and sustainability goals.
Advertisement
“The first is we’ve designed the event to the footprint of the city. So that’s everything, from looking at the existing active transport networks, to public transport networks throughout the city, to the facilities.”
“The second is prioritising environmental sustainability. So moving away from diesel cars to an electric fleet and an EV shuttle bus service,’ Batty added.
Sadleir said the more sustainable and affordable hosting model has generated greater interest among potential host nations.
“This evolution and reimagining and innovation in terms of our games was critical for us. We made a statement that we wanted to take the Commonwealth Games around the Commonwealth, not to just have it bounce back and forth between the members that could afford a very large-scale event.
“And what this has shown, by working with the event expertise in Glasgow, is (that) it drove a significant interest in terms of the hosting pipeline process that we went through for 2030 and 2034, which we haven’t started in 2031.
Advertisement
“But we know now that because we’ve made these changes, that hosts are saying, ‘hey, we can do this, this is doable’,” she added.
India were dealt a blow as all-rounder Nitish Reddy was ruled out of the upcoming white ball tour of UK with a quadriceps injury that he had sustained during the recent ODI series against Afghanistan. Reddy was also supposed to fill in the void left by Hardik Pandya, who also has quadriceps niggle and is not in condition to bowl 10 overs in ODIs. “Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the Ireland series. The MRI has revealed swelling with fiber disruption in the left quadriceps. He has been asked to report at COE for further assessment,” the medical bulletin in possession of PTI stated.
It is understood that Reddy will take a minimum of four weeks — the recovery timeline could extend too — to complete his rehabilitation before he can start his Return To Play protocols.
The 23-year-old played 10 Tests, 6 ODIs and 4 T20Is for India so far. During the Afghanistan series, he had played two ODIs while missing the second game in Lucknow.
While bowling coach Morne Morkel had then said that the injury didn’t look serious, it has now taken a far more serious turn.
Advertisement
Many believe that although Reddy’s stint with independent fast bowling coach Steffan Jones helped him increase his speed from late 120 kmph to a brisk mid 130 kmph, the flip side is that his body is unable to adjust with demands of sudden uptick in pace.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Delhi vs Mumbai IPL 2026: Fans Flood Arun Jaitley Stadium for High-Voltage Clash
Records have been falling from day one for the game’s most feared forwards.
Messi now leading the all-time World Cup list has taken a lot of the headlines, and rightly so.
But he isn’t the only one who has been setting records this tournament.
Mbappe now tops France’s goalscoring charts, Haaland is Norway’s leading World Cup scorer – after just two games – while Kane has equalled Gary Lineker’s World Cup record for England.
Advertisement
And all of them will have their sights set on France’s Just Fontaine’s 1958 record of 13 goals scored in one tournament.
Only three players – Fontaine, Gerd Muller for Germany in 1970 and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954 – have ever hit double figures at a single World Cup.
It would not be a surprise if that select list has grown by the end of this tournament.
The new 48-team format certainly looks to have increased the potential for goals. With more lower-ranked teams, the world’s best attackers have prospered.
Advertisement
The World Cup winners will also have to play one more round than ever before – again increasing the chance for goals.
Former France defender Gael Clichy told BBC Sport: “Kylian Mbappe is part of the generation which [has] that fearless factor.
“I remember when I started you had to give respect to the older generation when you came in, and you were not trying to do a nutmeg to the old men.
“This generation, they have respect, but differently. Don’t talk about age, talk about performance.”
Advertisement
So, back to the small matter of the race for the Golden Boot.
“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” said Mbappe. “Leo always scores. He always has and always will.
“If I start watching him, I’ll feel like I have to do even more, so no, I don’t watch what he’s doing. I’m only thinking about helping my team – by helping the team, I score goals and get closer to that kind of level.”
Norway boss Stale Solbakken has, perhaps unsurprisingly, pushed Haaland’s cause.
Advertisement
“He is the best striker – he is not playing for France or Argentina, he scores for Norway. He’s scored four goals now, two braces on the biggest stage,” he said.
“It’s easier to win the Golden Boot when you play for France and Argentina, but we’ll try to give Erling more games, and more help also in the next games. So he’s on fire and I’m very happy for him that he can score on the biggest stage.”
USA striker Folarin Balogun has made a decent enough start to the tournament himself, with two goals in his first two games.
But he probably summed it up the best, when he joked: “I think it’s annoying. Seeing players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland – they’re so inevitable. I think they’re scoring a goal a game, sometimes more.
Advertisement
“For me, it’s just about trying to get to that level – to be inevitable as well.”
Manchester City are expected to sign Elliot Anderson and other clubs have already been busy giving their opinions on the transfer
Manchester City have not yet been able to agree a price for Elliot Anderson with Nottingham Forest. Forest are holding out for a British record fee for the midfielder, and while the Blues recognise that they will be looking for the most favourable terms they can get in terms of how a deal can be structured.
As City work on haggling for the best price, other clubs have already decided that whatever the final number is will be too expensive. It has been reported on the red side of the Manchester Evening News that a total package of over £120m ‘is considered too high by those in charge of recruitment at Old Trafford and they have no interest in entering a bidding war’.
There will be people at United paid very well to come to that opinion, and it is of course one they are entitled to. The same goes for unnamed Premier League clubs who are reported in the Telegraph as fearing that City buying Anderson will inflate the transfer market.
The answer to both of those, to quote an infamous Premier League transfer saga, might be to ask what is being smoked at Old Trafford and other boardrooms in the country if Anderson’s fee is suddenly seen as so outrageous. It is naive in the extreme if United to have held an interest in Anderson for months without acknowledging what ballpark you would need to be in to buy one of the best midfielders in the league last season.
Advertisement
It is one thing to decide that Anderson at £120m is too expensive, but with United looking at West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes with a price tag of £80m, the pricier signing could end up being much better value. The opposite could also happen, but the point is that cost is determined by how much the player improves their team rather than simply what they cost.
Just as transfers don’t happen in a vacuum, it is remarkable to think how Anderson’s price could inflate a market. It is three years since Arsenal signed Declan Rice for £105m in a similar move that has paid off handsomely for them, and just the one since Liverpool spent £116m on a Leverkusen midfielder who did very little to justify his price while getting a fraction of the scrutiny that Jack Grealish (a £100m player in 2022) got for his move.
Perhaps those clubs worried about inflation are open to certain players being in the top price bracket but just not Anderson. When you see how well the Forest midfielder did last season and all the areas where he excelled, there certainly wasn’t a bracket of player above him in the Premier League.
Surely everybody has now moved on from the old feeling that you don’t pay that sort of money for a midfielder who doesn’t score often, given Rodri won the Ballon d’Or two years ago, Rice has become such a leader with England and nobody leaves left-backs in the changing room any more.
Advertisement
The reasons for other clubs not going for Anderson should have given City pause for thought. If everybody else in your field is coming up with a different answer, it is worth going through your working out again.
In this case though, it is hard to see any serious analysis of the player or the transfer market in the criticism of Anderson’s price. City will pay roughly the going rate having won the battle to convince the player to sign, and next season and beyond will judge how cheap or expensive that turns out to be.
However much unknown there is written into the transfer, there is enough evidence to mean that the dissenting voices coming out before City had even agreed the deal will delight the recruitment team at the Etihad. If other clubs are already trying to take the high ground in not signing Anderson, City can be reassured they are onto something if and when they do get a deal over the line.
Manchester United face the possibility of being forced to release Marcus Rashford from his contract this summer following a change to players’ rights laws
Amid the uncertainty over Marcus Rashford‘s future at Old Trafford, there is a chance Manchester United may be forced to release their star. That’s after a change to football regulations, which could have landed Ruben Amorim in hot water.
Rashford, 28, concluded a highly profitable season-long loan at Barcelona, where he won La Liga while contributing 14 goals and 14 assists. However, Los Cules have made it known they won’t be signing the forward permanently after recruiting his England team-mate, Anthony Gordon, in a £70million move instead.
Advertisement
That leaves Rashford at something of a loose end as he prepares to return to United once World Cup 2026 is over. However, Michael Carrick won’t be able to follow in Amorim’s footsteps with one move in particular if his plan is to move Rashford on.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
It was around 12 months ago that Rashford was named as part of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ at Old Trafford. The title was given to a group of players the ex-United boss wanted to get rid, so he made them train separately from the rest of the main squad.
That tactic worked from a logistical point of view as fellow bomb squad members Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony each moved on. However, exiling players in such a manner could come at a hefty cost in future.
Advertisement
FIFA recently announced a memorandum of understanding in collaboration with players’ union Fifpro. The change means any player exiled from the main squad can file a breach-of-contract claim and demand they be released as a result.
A successful claim would also oblige the club in question to pay up the remainder of said player’s contract. In Rashford’s case, that would stack up to the tune of around £30m given he has two years remaining on his £300,000-a-week deal at Old Trafford.
Advertisement
Needless to say that’s not the kind of amount United can afford to give up for nothing this summer. And it only further encourages Carrick to try and bring Rashford back into the fold if a transfer away can’t be agreed.
The FIFA ruling is designed to protect players from being segregated from the rest of their squad when a manager isn’t happy. Forcing players to train in isolation may be effective in terms of getting them to depart but was found to be abusive in nature.
Thousands of Man United fans upgraded their matchday last season. This is how they did it.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Official premium experiences at Old Trafford are available now for the 26/27 Premier League season. Make it easier than ever to turn a regular fixture into something genuinely unforgettable.
Premier League icon Alan Shearer recently voiced his opinion that Carrick should do all in his power to move the player on this summer. The Newcastle legend believes “too much may have gone on” behind the scenes for things to be salvaged at United.
However, in the event Rashford does find himself as something of a fifth wheel at United, he’ll still be a part of the squad. Even if that’s not his nor the manager’s preference ahead of what may be an awkward post-World Cup reunion.
Egypt’s players during a training session. (AP Photo)
Egypt’s preparations for their decisive FIFA World Cup Group G clash against Iran have been disrupted after local security authorities rejected a request to allow the squad to travel directly from Vancouver to Seattle, according to a Reuters report.The decision comes just days after Egypt celebrated a landmark moment in their football history, securing their first-ever World Cup victory with a commanding 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday.The team had planned to move key players directly to Seattle following the match as part of an effort to streamline travel ahead of Friday’s crucial fixture. However, that request was denied, forcing the squad to revise its logistical arrangements.
Travel plan rejected by authorities
“The security authorities refused the team’s request to stay in the city of Seattle as planned after the New Zealand match in the World Cup, and therefore the team’s delegation will return to the city of Spokane,” Hossam said in a statement issued by the Egyptian FA, as quoted by Reuters.Instead of going to Seattle, Egypt will now return to its training base in Spokane — approximately 280 miles away — before making the journey back for the Iran match.The adjustment adds an extra layer of travel fatigue ahead of a high-pressure encounter that could decide qualification for the Round of 32.
Historic win overshadowed by logistical challenge
Egypt’s travel issue comes on the heels of a dramatic performance against New Zealand, where they overturned an early deficit to claim a landmark victory.New Zealand started brightly and took the lead through Finn Surman, who headed home from a Tim Payne corner after early pressure. Egypt, however, gradually grew into the contest, with Mohamed Marmoush and Mohamed Salah both going close before halftime.The breakthrough arrived just before the hour mark when Mostafa Ziko levelled with a close-range header from Mohamed Hany’s cross. Buoyed by the equaliser, Egypt took control as Salah finished clinically after a sharp exchange inside the box, before Trezeguet sealed the win with a header from a corner in the 82nd minute.The result moved Egypt close to qualification from Group G, but their build-up to the Iran clash is now complicated by unexpected travel disruption rather than momentum alone.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login