Missouri [US], June 25 (ANI): The Argentina Football Association (AFA) shared a glimpse of captain Lionel Messi's 39th birthday celebrations amid the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament.

Messi turned 39 on Wednesday, entering a new chapter, a new year of his life. The gesture by the Argentina players underlines the deep admiration and respect Messi commands in the team.

A photograph posted on the team's official X account featured Messi along with other members, as they posed with birthday cakes during the occasion. The team described the moment as the 'party's grand finale,' marking a special day for the legendary footballer.

https://x.com/Argentina/status/2069980975233159578?s=20

Born on June 24, 1987, at the Italian Hospital Garibaldi in Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi marks another year at the peak of his career while remaining a central figure for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, where he has continued to set new records and further strengthen a legacy that spans generations.

Messi has led Argentina to convincing victories in both of their matches so far, scoring all five goals in those wins. Argentina began their World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria, with Messi scoring a hat-trick to power the victory.

In the second match, against Austria, Messi scored a record-breaking brace to guide the defending champions to a 2-0 win over Austria. With his brace, Messi not only secured victory for his side but also rewrote the record books by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history, surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose.

He opened the scoring in the 38th minute to move past Klose's tally of 16 goals and later added another in stoppage time to take his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals, two ahead of the German legend.

The 39-year-old has also now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches and has equalled the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal, a mark jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.

Messi also set a new record for the most wins by a player in FIFA World Cup history, surpassing German legend Miroslav Klose's tally of 17 victories, with his 18th WC match win. (ANI)