Published On 23 Jun 202623 Jun 2026Lionel Messi cemented his status as arguably the greatest football player of the modern era after sweeping aside several records as he powered his side to the round of 32 at the World Cup — the Argentinian captain’s record sixth appearance.Messi broke the record for the highest number of goals in the history of the World Cup after scoring his team’s opening goal in their Group J match against Austria on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listHe then added another in the final minutes, taking his tally to 18 goals in six tournaments to reach the top of the charts to deafening roars at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Austria coach Ralf Rangnick, who has revived the national side since taking over in 2022, attempted to break down the nearly 39-year-old Argentinian maestro’s work ethic.“Lionel Messi maybe doesn’t put in the same legwork as in the past,” Rangnick said.“He likes to stay on the side, and sometimes he likes to stop in front of the goal, in the offside position.“That doesn’t mean that they have one man less, but they have one man less that works in the counter-pressing.“But that makes him so dangerous, because he might be in a position, free in a position, and we need to be prepared for that.“We shouldn’t have too many transition moments, and not allow transition moments, and not allow him to be free to accept the ball.”‘Very angry’That notion unravelled in front of a frenzied crowd of 70,000 dominated by Argentin …
