As Argentina opened their FIFA World Cup defence with a Group J match against Algeria on Monday night, Lionel Messi made the stage his own by smashing a sensational hat-trick. In the process, the maestro equalled Miroslav Klose‘s legendary FIFA World Cup goal tally, with both iconic forwards now sitting at the top of the pile with 16 strikes to their name. However, Messi might not have even stayed on the pitch had the referee chosen to be less lenient over a controversial challenge he made shortly after scoring the opener.
Messi broke the deadlock in the 17th minute for Argentina, a historic moment that also drew tears from the captain’s eyes. But, not long after scoring the opening goal, Messi was caught in a clumsy, studs-up challenge on Algeria’s Aissa Mandi.
The referee blew his whistle and awarded a free kick to Algeria, but decided against taking any disciplinary action, opting not to book Messi despite the reckless nature of the tackle.
As the 38-year-old went on to score two more goals to seal Argentina’s dominant 3-0 victory, fans slammed the official on social media for his decision to let the Argentine talisman off the hook in the first half.
“Clearest red card and he didn’t even get a yellow for this, even after a VAR check. Lmao,” post from one fan read. In another post, a fan wrote: “Messi just got away with an absolutely disgusting challenge to an Algeria defenders leg.”
“There’s no way this isn’t a red card. Even Messi himself realised the blunder he made. They didn’t even give him a yellow,” a baffled fan wrote. Here are some other reactions:
Messi just got away with an absolutely DISGUSTING challenge to an Algeria defenders leg.
Red card or not?pic.twitter.com/2ZU2B5j4oH
— Banter FC (@FCBanter_) June 17, 2026
Red card for Lionel Messi, oh sorry, not even a yellow card
The South Africans were awarded two red cards, even though one was not even a yellow card, while FIFA’S favourite, Messi, got a clean chit, such a shame pic.twitter.com/NAS5Gyd8RO
— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) June 17, 2026
This is a red card offense but there was no yellow card nor var check and Messi fans said it’s okay pic.twitter.com/CPiI2E9b9p
— NASBA FC (@SixtusAbiakam) June 17, 2026
After matching Klose’s World Cup tally, Messi said it’s just another statistic and he doesn’t give such numbers too much importance. “It’s an honour. Mbappe and Ronaldo are there, but those numbers don’t mean anything. They’re just statistics. Ronaldo is one of the greatest, and he’s not in first place, so it’s just one statistic,” he said as quoted as saying by Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
“We were well-positioned when we had the ball, and we managed the game very well. We had the experience of the last one, and nobody gives anything away,” Messi further said after the match.