Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s first match against Algeria. This was the first hat-trick of FIFA World Cup 2026. It was also the first hat-trick of Lionel Messi in a FIFA World Cup.
This is the sixth World Cup that Lionel Messi has played and overall his 200th appearance for his country.
The first match of his sixth World Cup made history. The eight-time Ballon d’Or took his total World Cup goals to 16. He has now equalled Germany’s Miroslav Klose who has scored the most goals in FIFA World Cups.
Argentina has become the World Champions three times. In this World Cup they are defending their title. Only three nations have yet been able to successfully defend their World Cup titles.
As defending champions this is also the first time they have won their first match. In 1982 and 1990 they suffered defeats in their first matches.
This welcome change for Argentina is all due to Messi who scored the first goal in the 17th minute of the match.
The 38-year-old took the ball from his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul and then scored the goal. The Algerian goalkeeper was Luca Zidane, the son of former France legend Zinedine Zidane.
Messi with this match also became the first player to appear across six different World Cups. Scoring a hat-trick in this match justifies why at 38-year-old he is still playing the game.
Lionel Messi’s long term rival Cristiano Ronaldo will also be playing his sixth World Cup. The fans are hoping that their teams meet in the knockout stages so they can see their favourite players playing against each other.
Also read: Messi set for sixth World Cup as Argentina reveal final squad
