Lionel Messi scripted history on Wednesday (IST) with a stunning hat-trick for Argentina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J opener against Algeria. The 38-year-old was in sensational form at the Kansas City Stadium, leaving the Algerian defence completely helpless. Riding on his clinical three-goal performance, Argentina kicked off their title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory. With these strikes, Messi equalled Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s all-time record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, with both players now tied at 16 goals each.
Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes off a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second early in the second half, and the third moments before subbing out to a standing ovation.
The goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina in a match against Serbia and Montenegro – he scored in that one, too – and made him only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.
Messi has 16 goals in his six World Cup appearances, and it seems inevitable that Klose’s record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st of his career and his 11th while playing with the national team.
It was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.
The hat trick also upstaged two of football’s other big stars – Kylian Mbappe of France and Erling Haaland of Norway – who had big games Tuesday. Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day and is tied for fourth on the World Cup scoring list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in its 4-1 win over Iraq.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, which honors global soccer’s best player, had no problems in a tuneup last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing 20 minutes.
(With AP inputs)