It was as if one was watching a movie marathon at a film festival. Or a night-long musical soiree.First, the blockbuster from reigning superstar Kylian Mbappe, followed by new entrant Erling Haaland’s superhit debut feature. Then, as dawn was breaking, came Lionel Messi’s cult-classic, a statement, a reminder, almost rephrasing Norma Desmond’s immortal lines, “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”Mbappe scored his World Cup goals No 13 and 14 to kick off the race, going past Messi who stood at 13. Hours later, the Argentine took up the challenge to rush past the younger star, clocking three quick hits to draw level with German Miroslav Klose at an all-time high of 16.
The 16-foot journey
Messi, winner of the ‘third star’ for Argentina, delivered the Kansas City Stadium audience three deliriously jumpy moments as his Algerian opponents were caught in a dilemma — whether to applaud the man or pick themselves up for another fight.As India was rousing from sleep early on Wednesday, Messi was knocking in his 14th, 15th and 16th World Cup goals, the last one followed by a cheeky wink at his teammates. Perhaps he has plans for a birthday bash with his 39th approaching in 10 days’ time. With a brilliant hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Les Fennecs, good old Leo moved into a tie with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the career scoring record at the men’s World Cup.“Everything I’m experiencing now is a bonus. I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams — or even more than I ever dreamed of achieving — both professionally and personally,” Messi said after leaving the world breathless.Across two decades, six tournaments and countless unforgettable moments, Messi’s World Cup story is one of unique evolution — from gifted teenager to a global icon who conquered football’s greatest stage. His journey to 16 World Cup goals is not merely a statistical achievement; it is a tale of perseverance, heartbreak, redemption and enduring excellence.Messi’s World Cup adventure began in Germany in 2006. At just 18 years, the young Argentine announced himself to the world in spectacular fashion, with his long-flowing locks, scoring with his right foot. Messi’s tournament, though, ended in disappointment as Argentina were eliminated by Germany on penalties.But the countdown had been kicked off.Winning the World Cup in Qatar would have been the perfect ending to the Messi story. The man, however, chose to extend the story. Returning for the 2026 tournament in North America, he became the first man to appear in six World Cups, beating rival Cristiano Ronaldo by a day.And 20 years to the day, Messi reached the top. A 17th-minute curling strike lifted his goal tally to 14, tying him with German legend Gerd Mueller and Mbappe on the all-time scoring list. He then bypassed both European goal-plunderers to join Brazilian icon Ronaldo at 15 goals in the 60th minute, sharply slotting home a rebound from an Alexis Mac Allister shot to double the lead.With quarter of an hour left, he equalled Germany’s Miroslav Klose at 16 goals by sweeping a low finish into the net from the edge of the penalty area, before being subbed off to a standing ovation from the adoring crowd four minutes later.“But I don’t think it means anything,” Messi would remind us later, “In the end, it’s just a statistic and nothing more.” Sure, for him maybe. But not for the rest of the world. They wait for him, to get another moment of thrill.To think, the man, whose left foot has set the bar and benchmark of footballing excellence, began his 16goal journey with his right foot!It was a race run against excellence itself. His journey reminds one of Konstantin Simonov’s line: “Wait for me/ Wait! No rush to drink with them! Tell them to wait and see!”At Kansas City, Messi has started a fresh chapter of his never-ending epic.
