Victor's Bond With Messi Deepens Amid Record-breaking Goals

WHO:

MLB.com - Victor Mesa Jr., Lionel Messi, Junior Caminero, Kevin Cash, Drew Rasmussen, Michael Wacha, Richie Palacios, Yandy Díaz, Lisandro Martínez, Leandro Paredes, Argentina national team, Austria national team.

ESPN - Messi, Argentina, Austria, Diego Maradona, Miroslav Klose, Marta.

WHAT:

ESPN - Messi scored his 17th World Cup goal in a match against Austria, breaking the record for the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history.

ESPN - Messi's second goal in the match against Austria made him the leading all-time scorer in both men's and women's World Cup history.

ESPN - Messi has scored all five of Argentina's goals in the current World Cup.

ESPN - Messi's record-breaking goal came almost 20 years after he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006.

ESPN - Messi's record-breaking performance occurred exactly 40 years after Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup.

MLB.com - Lionel Messi scored two goals in a match against Austria, leading Argentina to a 2-0 victory and becoming the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 18 goals.

MLB.com - Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals.

MLB.com - Victor Mesa Jr. has three tattoos of Messi and named his son's middle name after him.

MLB.com - The Rays lost a game to the Royals 2-1, marking their 12th loss in the month, with eight of those losses by one run.

ESPN - Messi scored all five of Argentina's goals in the World Cup so far.

ESPN - Messi's first World Cup goal was scored in 2006 against Serbia & Montenegro.

WHERE:

MLB.com - The match took place at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg.

ESPN - The match occurred at Dallas Stadium.

WHEN:

MLB.com - Messi's record-breaking goal came during a World Cup match.

ESPN - Messi's first World Cup goal was scored in 2006, and he broke the record in 2026.

WHY:

MLB.com - Mesa admires Messi for his persistence and ability to overcome failures in international competitions.

ESPN - Argentina needed Messi's goals to secure victories in the World Cup.

HOW:

ESPN - Messi missed a penalty early in the match against Austria but later scored two goals to secure the victory for Argentina.

MLB.com - Mesa expressed his fandom for Messi through tattoos and personal stories, including waiting outside Messi's residence in Miami.

ESPN - Messi scored his record-breaking goal with a left-footed strike after a penalty opportunity.

In a stunning performance, Messi scored his 17th World Cup goal during a match against Austria, breaking the record for the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history, while also becoming the leading scorer in both men's and women's World Cup history with his second goal. Despite missing an early penalty, Messi netted two goals to secure Argentina's victory, bringing his total to five goals in the current World Cup. This record-breaking achievement comes almost 20 years after he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006 and exactly 40 years after Diego Maradona's iconic "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup.