Messi marks 39th birthday as World Cup's all-time top scorer
DIRECT ANSWER: The global Messi birthday celebration on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, arrived as the Argentina captain turned 39 during his sixth FIFA World Cup while leading all scorers with five goals in two matches. Days earlier he became the tournament's all-time career scoring leader with 18 goals, marking the milestone with teammates in Kansas City amid a joyful title defense.
Key Takeaways
- Messi turned 39 on June 24, 2026, at his sixth World Cup—the fifth time his birthday fell during the tournament.
- He leads the 2026 World Cup with five goals after a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria.
- With 18 career World Cup goals, Messi passed Miroslav Klose and Brazil's Marta to become the all-time World Cup scoring leader.
- Argentina celebrated at its Kansas City training base with a cake from local bakery Pan Caliente.
- Defending champions Argentina had already qualified for the knockout round as Group J winners.
How did Lionel Messi celebrate his 39th birthday?
Messi marked the occasion alongside his Argentina teammates at the squad's training base in Kansas City, Missouri. On social media, he shared a photo of himself with a birthday cake from Pan Caliente, a Kansas City bakery owned by an Argentine pastry chef, according to Yahoo Sports.
Fans gathered outside the Origin Hotel on Kansas City's Berkley Riverfront, where a Westport baker delivered cakes for the star's birthday, FOX4KC reported. Teammates surprised Messi with T-shirts featuring personal photos and a message thanking "the man who changed our lives."
FIFA, Inter Miami, and former club Barcelona were among those sending birthday wishes. In Messi's hometown of Rosario, around 5,000 children from local schools sang "Happy Birthday," Yahoo Sports reported.
Why does Messi's birthday matter at the 2026 World Cup?
This is not an ordinary birthday for a footballer nearing 40. Messi is competing in his sixth World Cup and, as Yahoo Sports notes, at 39 he is older than roughly 99% of players at the tournament, where the average age is around 27.
Yet he is playing like the dominant force of the tournament. After Argentina's opening win over Algeria and victory over Austria, Messi had scored every Albiceleste goal. The defending champions had already secured a place in the round of 32 as Group J winners before their final group match against Jordan.
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What do 39 World Cup stats reveal about Messi?
Yahoo Sports and FOX Sports paired Messi's 39th birthday with 39 facts and stats underscoring his longevity. His hat-trick against Algeria made him the oldest player ever to score three goals in a World Cup match, doing so at 38 years and 357 days, per FOX Sports.
Following his brace against Austria, Messi reached 18 World Cup goals—breaking ties with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the men's record and with Brazil icon Marta for the overall World Cup record. He has also played 2,489 minutes at World Cups, the most of any player in tournament history.
Off the pitch, the Yahoo Sports fact list highlights an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who scored a record 91 goals in calendar year 2012 and who briefly retired from international duty in 2016 before returning to lead Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar. Full breakdowns are available from Yahoo Sports and FOX Sports.