Brad Townsend: Another magic Monday only the beginning for Lionel Messi, Argentina at Dallas Stadium

ARLINGTON, Texas - Every Lionel Messi moment, magnified on Dallas Stadium's ginormous videoboard, induced bursts of extra-loud cheers.

The first came at 10:26 a.m. when Messi and his Argentina teammates were shown getting off their bus. Then at 11:12, when Messi took the pitch for warmups. And every time Messi touched the ball throughout Monday afternoon's match against Austria.

But the moments of Messi Magic that most resonated, the ones that will long reverberate in World Cup lore, were his history-making goals at 12:39 p.m. and 1:59 p.m. - like thunderbolts off his famous left foot - that gave Argentina a 2-0 victory.

The first goal made Messi the all-time scoring leader in 23 World Cups, with 17 goals. The second extended his new record and provided a fitting Messiesque exclamation point to an electric day in Arlington.

Afterward, Messi and No. 1-ranked, reigning World Cup champion Argentina remained on the pitch, arm-in-arm, soaking in the adoration from the mostly blue-and-white-clad sellout crowd of 70,649.

"When this group comes together - whether for official competitions or friendlies - we enjoy being together, competing, and the day-to-day training. We also enjoy seeing the fans and being able to bring them this kind of joy," Messi said. "Thank God we've already given them several moments like this. We want to keep this momentum going and stay in sync with the fans, who are also excited."

Typical Messi. Brilliant yet again on the pitch, two days shy of his 39th birthday. And magnanimous afterward, redirecting praise toward teammates and Argentina's legion of passionate fans.

A day earlier, roughly 20,000 of those fans congregated in Dallas' Klyde Warren Park. Monday's match was a continuation of that party. And Argentina's North Texas takeover will continue Saturday, when it concludes Group J play against Jordan in Arlington.

With Monday's victory, Argentina is 2-0 and unscored upon in this World Cup, with the iconic Messi scoring all five of its goals. It has clinched the top seed in Group J and advanced to the knockout stage, regardless of Saturday's outcome.

"I'm happy with the result and the qualification," Messi said. "It was important for us to get those six points so we could have a calmer week. So yeah, I'm really happy."

For North Texas, Monday and Saturday's Argentina matches and especially Messi's presence are a cultural phenomenon, a historic moment for the region.

Yes, Dallas previously hosted World Cup matches - six of them in 1994, and two in this World Cup, including England's 4-2 victory over Croatia last Wednesday in which another singular soccer star, Harry Kane, scored twice.

Messi, though, is on another plateau - that of the world's most celebrated athlete, with 508 million Instagram followers.

"Lionel Messi showed today that he is on a level of his own," Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. "That he is the best."

This is Messi's sixth World Cup and surely his last. After showing early Monday that he is somewhat human - firing wide left of the net on a penalty kick in the ninth minute - his record-breaking goal in the 38th minute occurred in his 2,432nd minute of World Cup play.

When he opened this World Cup with a hat trick against Algeria, he pulled into a tie with World Cup career goals leader Miroslav Klose of Germany.

Messi has scored World Cup goals in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (2006); Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2014); St. Petersburg, Russia (2018); and Lusail and Doha, Qatar (2022), but history will show that he broke the career record in Arlington.

And, fittingly, it happened on the 40th anniversary of countryman Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal against England in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Argentina had only a slight edge in ball control (54% to 46%), but the match was one-sided in the category that most mattered.

"Well, this is Lionel Messi," Austria's Rangnick said with a shrug. "He doesn't need many situations to decide a match."

When Messi's record-breaking goal found the net, the noise level in Dallas Stadium - aka AT&T Stadium - exploded to a level that surpassed the Netherlands-Japan and England-Croatia matches, not that either of those lacked in excitement or fan engagement.

After that goal, for the remainder of the half, Argentine fans serenaded both teams with "Muchachos," also known as "The land of Diego and Lionel," which became the Argentine fan club Albiceleste's anthem en route to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar.

Translated in English, the lyrics begin:

"I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel,

"Of the kids from Malvinas, which I will never forget.

"I can't explain it to you,

"Because you won't understand,

"The finals we lost, how many years I cried for them."

Other than tears of joy, there was no crying in 2022. It's very early, but 2026 is starting on a similar path, Messi-led, of course.

And to North Texas' great fortune, it gets to host Argentina's next step, on Saturday.

Monday's Messi Magic materialized mere days after a whirlwind of off-the-pitch news that had many fans concerned about the megastar and his family.

Amid initial reports that Messi's 68-year-old father, Jorge, was hospitalized, an Argentine streaming-TV host mistakenly falsely reported on air that Jorge had passed away.

The host later resigned from her role, blaming the unverified information on something a producer told her in her earpiece.

In a statement, the Messi family expressed "deep distress regarding the lack of sensitivity, respect, and scruples" some media showed. The statement said Jorge is recovering from an unspecified illness.

Perhaps that is why Lionel Messi's post-match remarks Monday were limited to three questions. No matter. His play once again spoke volumes.

He became just the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive games, following France's Just Fontaine (1958) and Brazil's Jairzinho (1970).

In this, his 201st international appearance, Messi scored his 121st and 122nd goals, with Austria becoming the 42nd different nation against which he's scored.

"It's always good to be with friends," Argentine coach Lionel Scalone said, declining to elaborate about the team's level of concern about Messi and his father's health. "If it's a good situation, if it's a bad situation, it's better if you have friends next to you.

"And that's what we all feel. … I would rather not add anything else about this, but we're doing well."

Well, indeed, with more Messi Mania in store for North Texas on Saturday.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 5:06 PM.