Messi makes World Cup history: Top scorer and top assist provider after Egypt thriller

Lionel Messi added another historic milestone to his extraordinary FIFA World Cup career during Argentina’s thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Egypt, becoming the player with the most recorded assists in the history of the tournament.

The Argentina captain provided the decisive pass for Cristian Romero’s goal as the defending champions began their fightback after falling 2-0 behind. The assist took Messi’s World Cup tally to nine, moving him past the legendary Diego Maradona, who previously held the record with eight assists. He is also the first player in football history to assist in six World Cup tournaments.

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Messi was also on the scoresheet during Argentina’s dramatic comeback, scoring the equaliser after Egypt had stunned the champions with goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. The goal took Messi’s World Cup goal tally to 21, making him the highest-scoring player in the tournament’s history.

With the latest records, Messi now stands alone as the World Cup’s leading assist provider and top goalscorer, further cementing his status as one of the greatest players ever to grace football’s biggest stage. His contribution proved crucial once again as Argentina recovered from a two-goal deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 and secure a place in the quarterfinals.

The defending champions had trailed 2-0 after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But Argentina got two late goals in four minutes from Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi to get back in the game.

Messi also missed a chance in the first half when his penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. He also hit the post when the score was 1-0.

Argentina will now face the winner of Tuesday's clash in Vancouver between Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals.