Tamannaah Bhatia’s anarkali, Namrata Shirodkar's jacket look, Manish Malhotra in black: Who wore what at Hyderabad event Updated on: Aug 30, 2026, 13:22:55 IST By Akanksha Agnihotri Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Tamannaah Bhatia, Manish Malhotra
North Korea's Defence Minister has been dismissed as part of a reshuffle of the country's military leadership, state media reported on Sunday (August 30, 2026). The "structural reorganization plans" were decided during a meeting on Saturday (August 29) led by Kim Jong Un
Woman shares reality of never-ending expenses after moving into a flat: ‘They just keep piling up’A woman shared how unexpected household expenses kept piling up after she moved into a rented flat. Published on: Aug 30, 2026, 12:46:57 IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Prefer HTon Google Share via
Tom Cruise, Abhishek Bachchan, Tara Sutaria, Tom Holland: 9 celebs who opened up about their learning disabilities Published on: Aug 30, 2026, 13:05:55 IST By Sanya Panwar Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Tom Cruise and Tara Sutaria, as well as celebs such as Tom Holland
‘I worked over the weekends’: Employee seeks advice after HR questions them for being 15 minutes lateAn employee has turned to Reddit for advice after being questioned by HR over 15-minute delays at work. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026, 13:29:43 IST By Vaishali Kapila Prefer HTon Google Share via
From retirement to records - another immortal Messi moment
From retirement to records - another immortal Messi moment
In 2016, Lionel Messi retired from international football.
In the aftermath of a defeat by Chile in the Copa America final, in which Messi missed a penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years, he could not take any more pain.
For me, the national team is over," he said at the time. "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.
It is hard to imagine that 10 years later, two days before his 39th birthday, not only would he still be playing for reigning world champions Argentina, but also becoming the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.
His decision to reverse that international retirement has led to a glorious era of success for Messi and his nation.
They have won the past two Copa America tournaments and, in 2022, captain Messi guided them to the World Cup, scoring seven goals - including two in the final - as they won the tournament for the third time, but the first since 1986.
On Monday, 40 years to the day since Diego Maradona scored twice in a 2-1 quarter-final win over England, Messi was again rewriting football's record books with both goals in a 2-0 victory against Austria.
It was "another immortal Messi moment" according to BBC commentator Steve Bower.
I enjoy playing and having a good time on the pitch," said Messi. "We enjoy seeing the people like this too, being able to give them this kind of joy.
An eighth-minute penalty miss was not a great start, but that was forgotten about 30 minutes later with a low strike for his 17th World Cup goal, to move him clear of Germany's Miroslav Klose as the outright top scorer in tournament history.
The 18th was not too far away either, with him scoring in second-half stoppage time, squeezing the ball past two Austria defenders from a tight angle.
"We don't have time to create statues for Lionel Messi or deep analysis for him in newspapers. We cannot keep pace," said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague on BBC Radio 5 Live.
That is now 18 goals in 28 World Cup games. You would be foolish to bet against him scoring more, especially with Jordan to come and with Argentina already guaranteed a last-32 place.
Messi is appearing at his sixth World Cup and has scored 13 tournament goals since reversing that decision to retire from international football.
Remarkably, 12 of his 18 goals on football's greatest stage have come since he turned 35. Fourteen of those 18 have been struck with his left foot, and four have come from outside the box.
"He is enjoying it and this is the best thing," added Balague. "I have seen him play World Cups where he couldn't last 90 minutes. Here at the end, he was running like anyone else, now he knows his body so well.
Messi doesn't need to run. He doesn't even need explosive pace to beat defenders, he just does it with intelligence. I think we're going to see him in four years' time.
The statistics just keep on getting more impressive.
He has scored all five of Argentina's goals at this World Cup, and is two clear at the list of top goalscorers.
Against Austria, he became only the third player to score in six successive World Cup matches after France's Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970.
Messi's two goals against Austria meant he scored with both of his opportunities and he has also created the most chances in the tournament's history (76).
In his past six matches at the World Cup, he has been involved in 12 goals, scoring 10 with two assists.
"Are we looking at the greatest player ever? It's possible and definitely worth the debate," asked former Wales defender Ashley Williams on BBC One.
We might have just witnessed the greatest player that football has ever seen.
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy agreed and said: "Lionel Messi keeps getting in those great areas with the free role he has got.
His football intelligence is off the charts, he just finds space and the timing is great from the best player I've ever seen.
Former France striker Olivier Giroud, a World Cup winner in 2018, added: "He is not suffering physically, he is managing his healthy lifestyle well - he has to because otherwise you cannot stay playing that long.
He's unbelievable. He has been blessed that he can just play game after game.
But are Argentina over-reliant on their captain?
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former England striker Chris Sutton said: "Lionel Messi magic once again for Argentina. It is not just his goals, but it is his contribution to the team.
"The way he knits things together - he is the little guy for the big moments.
I suppose the negative side for Lionel Scaloni is he probably wants other players to contribute with goals. They can't just rely on Messi, or can they?
Even in failure, Messi breaks records.
He will get the headlines for his prowess in front of goal, but there were also some unwanted records.
Argentina were awarded a penalty when Lautaro Martinez was brought down, but Messi fired the spot-kick wide.
There was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty, because I missed it and I took it very, very badly," said Messi. "Luckily we were able to reverse that situation, take the lead and get the three points.
He became the first player to miss a penalty at the 2026 World Cup and has now both taken (seven) and missed (three) the most penalties in tournament history, excluding shootouts.
He has also failed to score six of 31 penalties for Argentina.
By making amends with his double, this was the first competitive match that Messi has scored in for Argentina after also missing a penalty.
"Messi is human after all, he's allowed the odd mistake," added Murphy.
Perhaps it was written in the stars for his record-breaking goal to be scored in true Messi fashion.
He might have missed it on purpose," Murphy joked. "Maybe breaking the record was meant for a better goal.
South American football expert Tim Vickery added: "The gods of football obviously didn't want him to break the record with a penalty, they wanted him to break the record with a goal from open play.
Argentina have built the team around him and I just don't want the carnival to end.
While holding so many records, there are more for him to get.
Next on the list could be the most assists at World Cups as Messi is currently level with Maradona on eight.
Jordan in the final group match (Sunday, 03:00 BST) is Messi's next chance to make yet more footballing history.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: Short, slow and now old, how does Lionel Messi still dominate football How Lionel Scaloni can make life easier for Lionel Messi against England Kyle Walker retires from international football Messi Tour Sparks Debate Over Crores Spent While Indian Football Struggles Chhetri explains why Messi and Ronaldo remain football's gold standard Messi remains football's biggest attraction Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff Meet Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Rodrigo De Paul Lionel Messi sparkles in Inter Miami's first-ever MLS Cup trophy Every Record Lionel Messi Broke In Argentina's Dramatic R032 Win Over Cape Verde Lionel Messi Promises To Return
For years, Arthur Kermalvezen, the child of a sperm donor, saw possible fathers everywhere he went. "I imagined it might be my teacher, the people I saw on the bus... and I was very angry because it's impossible to live like this." When, as an adult, he fell in love with Audrey
1 hours ago
Ather Energy has launched its new electric scooter, the ‘Konarc S’, in the Indian market. This new electric scooter has a starting price of Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom) and is based on Ather’s EL platform. It is the company’s first scooter to be built on this platform
1 hours ago
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey has slammed comedian Samay Raina after his exchange with comedian Sharon Verma on Season 2 of India’s Got Latent drew political reactions. As per ANI, several leaders have since commented on the jokes involving Bihar and Kashmir
1 hours ago
August 30, 2026, Birthday Horoscope: Trust your instincts, make bold decisions and believe in what is possibleYour birthday falls on August 30, 2026 here’s what your year ahead looks like, as per Tarot. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026, 11:00:15 IST By Kishori Sud Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
1 hours ago
Lionel Messi rolls back years with four-goal masterclass as Inter Miami smash Montreal 7-1 and end five-game winless runLionel Messi scored four and assisted another in Inter Miami's 7-1 rout of Montral, his first four-goal game since Barcelona more than six years ago. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026
1 hours ago
Mohammad Amir refers to himself as ‘British Local’: ‘The Pakistan chapter I had before is now closed’Mohammad Amir has ruled out a return to Pakistan cricket after acquiring British citizenship. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026, 14:08:04 IST Written by Probuddha Bhattacharjee Prefer HTon Google
1 hours ago
After popular football clubs Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool FC joined the Ravi Kishan meme trend with posts on Instagram, the craze has now made its way into cricket. Rotterdam Dockers appear to have jumped on the bandwagon, with captain and co-owner Faf du Plessis recreating the Indian
1 hours ago
Even as AI firms expand model capabilities, frontier labs continue to navigate a legal reckoning sparked by the first wave of copyright lawsuits that threatened to derail the generative AI boom. The argument from artists has been that AI output that looks like a specific piece of art is because
1 hours ago
Moses Itauma was still a schoolboy when he would turn up at boxing gyms in his uniform and give seasoned professionals a hiding. On Saturday night at the O2 Arena, the 21-year-old was finally given an education, as the Briton ran out of gas and the granite experience of Filip Hrgovic carried the
1 hours ago
Argentina snapped co-host the Netherlands’ dream run of four consecutive women’s FIH World Cup titles by winning the crown, defeating the Dutch side 3-1 in penalty shoot-out after both the teams were locked 1-1 at end of the regulation time in Amstelveen on Saturday
1 hours ago
An old black cat slept snugly in its chair in the Yunnan-themed, street-facing restaurant on Mae Salong’s main road. It was oblivious to the gentle exhortations of two middle-aged women, who asked it to make way for three hungry travellers, excited about the halal fare served there
1 hours ago
Upon returning to India after three years, a UK-based content creator and healing coach said she had an unpleasant experience soon after landing in Bengaluru. The woman, who was unfamiliar with the city’s airport taxi system, alleged that a cab driver promised to charge her by the meter and later
1 hours ago
On the morning of August 29, more than 5,000 people of Indian-origin trickled into New York’s Madison Square Garden to see one man take the stage: Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
1 hours ago
Nimisha Sajayan recalls gaining 14 kgs for 'Babita Singh Reporting'Nimisha Sajayan recalls gaining 14 kgs for 'Babita Singh Reporting' Published on: Aug 30, 2026, 14:03:22 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link New Delhi, Actor Nimisha Sajayan recalled gaining almost 14 kgs for her role in
1 hours ago
I have completed BBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship. What should I focus on to do an MBA at an IIM or Ivy League university? Sneha For the top IIMs, you need to master the CAT and score a realistic 98.5-99.5+ percentile. Work on Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
1 hours ago
The toll in the flash flood and mudslide in Nepal and China rose to 750 on Sunday, reported AFP. Nearly 3,000 persons were missing. On the Nepal side, 2,426 persons were out of contact as of Saturday, the country’s disaster management authority was quoted as saying. The number was 546 in Tibet
1 hours ago
Roger Federer loved to win, of course, and at the peak of his career almost always did. All those victories and trophies he piled up alone would have made Federer remembered forever in tennis, but they were only part of the reason he enjoyed playing. He liked travelling to tournaments
1 hours ago
Choosing the right wireless security camera can make home monitoring easier without requiring a complicated surveillance setup. Features such as high-resolution video, pan-and-tilt movement, night vision, motion detection and two-way audio can help users keep track of different areas of their homes
1 hours ago
Archana Puran Singh found herself at the centre of another Samay Raina roast when she appeared on India’s Got Latent 2 Season 2 Episode 5 alongside Orry, Nishant Suri and Sharon Verma. This time, Samay turned his attention to Archana’s family
1 hours ago
Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said he was "not angry" and there was "no panic" after his side's second loss in two games left them bottom of the Premier League – but it was a depressingly familiar story for the club's fans. Goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa in a 10-minute second-half
1 hours ago
Ionic hair dryers are designed to help dry hair quickly while reducing static and frizz during styling. They can be particularly useful for people who regularly use a hair dryer and want better control over heat and airflow. If you are looking for an ionic hair dryer without spending more than Rs.3
1 hours ago
NEET PG exam rescheduled for nearly 300 candidates over power outage in JaipurThe NEET PG examination for all candidates allotted to the particular centre will now be conducted on September 5. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026, 14:06:58 IST ANI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link The NEET-PG examination
1 hours ago
A fever during the monsoon can be easy to brush off. But with mosquito-borne infections still circulating, when is it safer to stop waiting and get tested? Gujarat has reported a significant decline in mosquito-borne diseases this year, with malaria cases falling 45%, dengue by 39
1 hours ago
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted Minister B Nagendra's resignation. This resignation followed allegations in an Rs 89 crore corporation scam. Nagendra stated he resigned voluntarily to protect the party and government. The opposition BJP-JD(S) had intensified criticism and protests
1 hours ago
In latest show of ‘car diplomacy’, PM Modi seen sharing a ride with Uzbekistan PresidentPM Modi and President Mirziyoyev were seen traveling together by car from the airport to the presidential palace, where they then held a dinner meeting. Updated on: Aug 30, 2026
1 hours ago
Addressing concerns about compressed biogas (CBG) becoming increasingly expensive with the revised offtake price, the Union Petroleum Ministry assured the pricing cushioned with government-funded support and stacking with a substantially wider gas pool would avert any material price impact
1 hours ago
JU political graffiti whitewashed after CM Adhikari’s remarks on campus politicsCPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a former Kolkata mayor, criticised the move saying campuses encourage free thinking Published on: Aug 30, 2026, 14:01:11 IST By HT Correspondent
1 hours ago
