NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi added another significant milestone to his storied career after scoring against Austria to become the top scorer in FIFA World Cup history and extended his scoring streak in consecutive World Cup matches.The Argentina captain netted during the defending Group J champions’ clash in Dallas, taking his tally to 17 World Cup goals and surpassing German great Miroslav Klose. With the shot, the 38-year-old equaled the record jointly held by Frenchman Just Fontaine and Brazilian Jairzinho for scoring goals in six consecutive World Cup matches. Messi entered the competition in sensational form after scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his career against Algeria, while making his 200th appearance for Argentina. His final goal, which came after a missed penalty fairly early in the game, further cemented his place among football’s all-time greats. Interestingly, the French star Kylian Mbappe has recently dismissed comparisons with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldoinsisting that debates about greatness are not on his mind.“Messi is the best player, next to Cristiano, that’s clear. I’m trying to help my team win another World Cup. All that’s left is the discussion for the press. At the moment I’m not thinking about Haaland; maybe they’re thinking about us, but I’m thinking about Iraq,” said Mbappe, as quoted by Marca according to Goal.com.The France captain also said that individual records mean little compared to winning trophies.“Messi showed what we saw, it’s a discussion for people, it’s good, but it’s not something I think about. What I want is to bring the trophy home. I won’t be here when I turn 40; I’ll be kicked out before then. I don’t make plans for the future; “I’m only thinking about the present moment, about enjoying the World Cup,” he added.“It’s always a pleasure to be there, and it’s an important match because we have to qualify. I already knew Leo would score because he always scores. I’m behind him, but if you score, you get closer, but the most important thing for me is to win the World Cup,” he said.
