Lionel Messi Equals World Cup Goals Record With Hat Trick As Argentina Beat Algeria 3-0

• Lionel Messi scored a hat trick as Argentina opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Algeria
• The Argentina captain equalled Miroslav Klose’s men’s World Cup goals record of 16
• Messi also became the first player to appear in six FIFA World Cups

Lionel Messi equalled Miroslav Klose’s record for the most goals scored in men’s FIFA World Cup history after producing a hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria on Tuesday night.

The 38-year-old delivered another historic performance at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, scoring all three goals as the defending champions began their tournament with a convincing victory. The hat trick moved Messi onto 16 World Cup goals, level with former Germany striker Klose at the top of the all-time scoring charts.

The Argentina captain also reached another milestone before kick-off, becoming the first player in history to appear in six FIFA World Cups. The match marked his 200th appearance for the national team.

Messi opened the scoring in the first half with a left-footed strike from outside the penalty area before adding two more goals after the break to complete the first World Cup hat trick of his career.

The performance made him the oldest player to score a hat trick at a World Cup and extended his scoring run to five consecutive matches in the competition.

Speaking after the match, Messi played down the significance of matching Klose’s record.

“It’s an honor being up there for what it means, being alongside Klose and Ronaldo, who is there also,” Messi said.

“But it doesn’t mean anything. Mbappé is there too, he scored twice today. At the end of the day, they are stats and nothing more.”

Messi was visibly emotional after scoring his first goal and later explained the reason behind his reaction.

“Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football,” he said.

“I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it.”

The goals arrived exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro, a match in which he also scored.

Argentina’s victory also moved Messi level with Klose for the most World Cup wins by an individual player with 17.

There had been concerns surrounding Messi’s fitness before the tournament after he left an Inter Miami match in May due to muscle fatigue, but those doubts were quickly erased by his display against Algeria.

“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way,” Messi said.

“What I’m living through now is the cherry on top. I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”

Messi’s latest masterclass came on a day when other leading stars also made headlines, with France forward Kylian Mbappé and Norway striker Erling Haaland both scoring twice in victories for their respective countries.

For Argentina’s players, however, Messi’s performance was another reminder of his importance to the team.

“It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward,” midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said.

“He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.”

Alexis Mac Allister added: “There are no words to describe him. He is our most important player. We need to build a team around him, and we are doing it.”

Argentina will continue their Group campaign against Austria in Dallas on June 22 before facing Jordan in their final group-stage fixture.

“The first matches of a World Cup are always tough,” Messi said.

“We’re seeing that nobody’s giving anything away. It’s a competitive World Cup with well-prepared national teams.”