Lionel Messi has defined the world of football for the last two decades, and his triumphant ascent to the peak of the sport at the 2022 World Cup will surely go down as one of the most iconic sporting moments of the 21st Century. Argentina was a powerhouse long before him and will remain one long after he retires, but the Albiceleste will miss him dearly.

It’s almost certain that the 2026 World Cup will be the last of Messi’s legendary career, though he technically hasn’t completely ruled out participating in the 2030 tournament. After captaining Argentina to the 2022 title, he has nothing left to prove, but if this is indeed his final global tournament, he’ll surely want to end his career on a high note.

Messi is currently tied for fourth with 13 career goals scored in his five World Cup appearances, but he could break Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 with a four-goal performance (though France’s Kylian Mbappé, who’s added 12 goals of his own in just two tournaments, could pass him). He’s been the Albiceleste’s top scorer twice, in 2014 and 2022, and he’s the favorite to do so again. Below, I’ll break down the DraftKings Sportsbook odds for Argentina’s leading goalscorer at the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina Top Goalscorer Odds

Lionel Messi (+150)
Lautaro Martínez (+300)
Julián Álvarez (+400)
Nicolás González (+1000)
Paulo Dybala (+1400)
Nico Paz (+1400)
Giuliano Simeone (+1400)
Enzo Fernández (+1400)
Ángel Correa (+1600)
Thiago Almada (+1800)
Franco Mastantuono (+1800)
Alexis Mac Allister (+2000)
Leandro Paredes (+2500)
Rodrigo De Paul (+2500)
Giovani Lo Celso (+2500)
Nicolás Otamendi (+3500)
Cristian Romero (+4000)
Nahuel Molina (+5000)
No Argentina Goalscorer (+10000)

Who will be Argentina’s leading goalscorer? Pick, best bet

Despite his advanced age and the success of Argentinian strikers throughout Europe, the Albiceleste still revolve around Messi. He led the team with eight goals during COMNEBOL World Cup qualifying despite playing nearly 400 fewer minutes than Álvarez, who tied with Martínez on four goals. He’s also been a dominant scorer in Major League Soccer, winning the American top flight’s Golden Boot in 2025 and ranking third so far this season. Messi played every minute of the 2022 tournament, playing six of his seven matches either as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 or paired up front with Álvarez or Martínez in 4-2-2-2 or 3-1-4-2 formations (the final was the lone exception, as he started on the right wing in that match). Messi probably doesn’t have the fitness to play every minute of this tournament, but he has played the full 90 minutes in 11 of Inter Miami’s 12 matches this season. He plays as a striker with the Herons, but in his recent appearances for Argentina, Lionel Scaloni has mostly utilized him as a right winger with either Martínez or Álvarez up front, which theoretically limits his direct goal-scoring opportunities but certainly didn’t stop him throughout qualifying.

It obviously wouldn’t surprise me if Messi ends up as the Albiceleste’s leading goal scorer, but for value, I’ll steer clear. He should end up being the primary penalty kick taker, but that’s not a guarantee; the last time he was on the pitch with Argentina and a penalty was given, Ángel Di María took it instead, and Álvarez, the primary penalty kick taker for Atlético Madrid, is another strong option. Plus, if the Albiceleste can’t draw penalties as effectively as they did during the 2022 tournament, the best open-play scorer (relative to the level of competition) is likely Martínez, who has averaged 0.75 goals per match for Scudetto-winning Inter Milan. Scaloni seems to have a slight preference towards him over Álvarez in the attack, as he was the lone striker each of the last two times Argentina started a one-striker formation. At +300, he slightly edges out both Álvarez (+400) and Messi as my favorite overall play.

The Pick: Lautaro Martínez (+300)