Lionel Messi Breaks Pele's Record Of Most Goal Contributions In FIFA World Cup Knockout Matches

Published 3 July 2026 · sports

Lionel Messi Breaks Pele's Record Of Most Goal Contributions In FIFA World Cup Knockout Matches Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 04:42 IST Pelé

Lionel Messi Breaks Pele's Record Of Most Goal Contributions In FIFA World Cup Knockout Matches Published By, Last Updated: July 04, 2026, 04:42 IST Pelé was directly involved in 11 goals for Brazil in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, scoring eight times and registering three assists. Lionel Messi breaks Pele's record of most goal involvements in FIFA World Cup knockout matches. (Picture Credit: AFP) Lionel Messi, who is leading Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, entered the history books on Friday (Saturday IST) by breaking Pelé’s record for the most goal contributions in FIFA World Cup knockout matches during Argentina’s Round of 32 clash against Cape Verde in Miami.

The 39-year-old opened the scoring in the 29th minute to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. The goal was Messi’s 12th goal contribution in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, taking him past Pelé’s long-standing record of 11. Messi has now scored six goals and provided six assists in World Cup knockout fixtures. 12 – With the opening goal against Cabo Verde, Lionel Messi has 12 goal contributions in the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup (6 goals, 6 assists), surpassing Pelé and Kylian Mbappé (11 each) for the most since 1966.Vital. pic.twitter.com/mH2tTuaz1S — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 3, 2026 Pelé was directly involved in 11 goals for Brazil in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, scoring eight times and registering three assists.

France’s Kylian Mbappé, who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, has also been involved in 11 goals in FIFA World Cup knockout matches. He has scored nine goals and provided two assists in the knockout stage of the tournament. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Harshit Bisht Senior Sub-editor Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli...

Read More First Published: July 04, 2026, 04:42 IST News sports football Lionel Messi Breaks Pele's Record Of Most Goal Contributions In FIFA World Cup Knockout Matches Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...