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Lionel Messi has made history at the World Cup by becoming the tournament's leading scorer with 17 goals. The Argentine captain achieved this feat after scoring twice in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria on Monday evening, bringing his tally to 18 goals.

Messi's incredible achievement has sparked massive celebrations among Argentine fans, who had been eagerly waiting for their hero to surpass the record set by Brazilian legend Pele and German icon Gerd Muller.

The win against Austria has propelled Argentina into the last 32, securing their place in the knockout stage.

But what about Messi's penalty kick that he fluffed earlier in the game? According to the Argentine captain, 'Today there was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty because I missed and I struck it very badly.' Luckily, Argentina managed to turn the situation around, take the lead, and secure three crucial points.

Weighed under a small injury cloud over his hamstring, Messi had made his presence felt in the tournament from the very beginning. He scored a hat-trick in Argentina's opening match against Algeria, and on Monday evening, he showed his world-class skills once again, breaking into the record books.

Argentina will go through as Group J winners if Jordan do not beat Algeria. The winners of Group J will face the runners-up in Group H. Second in that group is currently Uruguay.

Austria proved to be stubborn opponents and even had a couple of glimpses at goal themselves before Messi's second goal of the evening.

The Argentine captain said: 'A very hard victory. The truth is that we knew that it was going to be a match of great intensity. This World Cup is all very even games... no one gives anything away.'

And what's next for Messi and Argentina? They will face Jordan on Saturday, and they want to go through the tournament with maximum points.

Messi said: 'We're Argentina, and we're always going to look to win against any opponent.'

Messi's World Cup Milestones

  • Messi has become the World Cup's leading scorer with 17 goals.
  • He has surpassed Brazilian legend Pele and German icon Gerd Muller's record.
  • Messi's incredible achievement has sparked massive celebrations among Argentine fans.
  • Argentina have secured their place in the last 32 of the tournament.
  • Messi has broken into the record books, solidifying his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time.