Messi delivers a historic World Cup masterclass for Argentina

Lionel Messi took centre stage again with a superb hat-trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 at the World Cup. The 38-year-old became the first player to appear at six World Cups, and he marked the occasion with a performance that underlined why he remains one of football’s defining figures.

Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick and matched Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals. It was also his 200th appearance for Argentina, coming exactly 20 years after his tournament debut at Germany 2006. Even on a day when Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland had also impressed, Messi was the player who defined the headline moment.

Argentina had an early scare when Messi appeared to be caught by Algeria’s Aissa Mandi, but he escaped punishment and soon made the most of the chance to settle into the game. He thought he had opened the scoring in the fourth minute, only for the offside flag to deny him, but that was only a brief delay.

His first goal arrived in the 18th minute, when he cut onto his left foot and curled a superb shot beyond goalkeeper Luca Zidane. The strike sent the Argentina supporters into raptures and seemed to set the tone for the night. Messi later scored again after a mistake from Zidane allowed the ball to fall kindly to him, and he calmly finished to make it 2-0.

He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute after being set up by Nico Gonzalez. That goal brought him level with Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring chart and sparked another wave of celebration among Argentina fans. Messi left the pitch to a standing ovation, with his name echoing around Kansas City.

After the match, Messi said the moment was especially meaningful because he could share it with his family, team-mates and supporters. He described Argentina as a strong, united group and said he was grateful for the backing from fans who turned the stadium into a sea of blue and white. Head coach Lionel Scaloni said he had no words to describe Messi and praised the way he continues to inspire everyone around him.

There was some debate over whether Messi might have been sent off for an earlier challenge, but the officials allowed play to continue. Some analysts felt he was fortunate, while others argued he was simply making a football action rather than trying to hurt an opponent.

For Argentina, the result was a perfect start. For Messi, it was another historic night in a career already filled with them.