Lionel Messi continues to produce historic moments on the field, and there is absolutely no doubt about it.
The legendary soccer player scored his first ever FIFA World Cup hat-trick on June 16, when Argentina won 3-0 against Algeria in the opening match of the 2026 tournament at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. That’s right, HAT-TRICK!
All three goals of Leo Messi in his first FIFA World Cup hat trick pic.twitter.com/jb05ZWMrVU
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
At the age of 38, Messi became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup. Scoring three goals clinched his career World Cup reaching 16 goals, tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in men’s World Cup history. His goals were scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, while the fans cheered.
What else, you ask? This match also became his 200th international match and made him the first player to play in six different World Cups.
ALSO READ | Lionel Messi comments on rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘He wanted to win everything, so did I’
Lionel Messi breaks the silence at a historic moment
Messi remained humble, saying he felt honored but did not see much importance in the record. Speaking after the match, he told ESPN, “I don’t look at the goals, the records… It’s an honor to have (Miroslav) Klose, (Cristiano) Ronaldo there too, (Kylian) Mbappe, who scored two today, but it’s just a statistic, nothing more.”
He added, “Ronaldo was one of the greatest I’ve ever seen and not the first. You try to do your best as always. I didn’t see the goals on TV, I was having fun with my teammates and my family. I’ll watch it later.”
Alegria coach Vladimir Petkovic praised Messi, saying, ‘class is permanent, because we are not talking about any old player here, we are talking about a footballer who has won the Ballon d’Or seven or eight times in his career.’
What’s next for Argentina?
After defeating Algeria, Argentina is set to face Austria on June 22, 2026. Who will win? We bet you can’t wait to see.
