Lionel Messi added yet another remarkable chapter to his glittering career on Tuesday scoring the first FIFA World Cup hat-trick of his career as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their opening Group J match of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
His strikes against Algeria in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes at Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, United States of America brought the great footballer level with German great, Miroslav Klose, whose 16 goals is the record by any individual player in the competition’s history.
The night in Missouri was already destined to be special for the Argentine captain as he made his 200th international appearance, becoming only the second male footballer to reach the milestone after Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi, however, ensured the occasion would be remembered for much more than the landmark cap.
At 38 years old, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner produced a vintage performance as he registered his first hat-trick in the global tournament and further cement his place among football’s immortals.
The feat carried multiple layers of history.
Messi became the oldest goalscorer in Argentina’s history at a FIFA World Cup, surpassing the previous mark while also extending a curious personal connection with Algeria.
Algeria were the opponents against whom Messi scored his first international goal in a friendly in 2007. Then aged just 19, Messi became Argentina’s youngest goalscorer when he found the net in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Algeria.
Nineteen years later, and on the same opposition, he rewrote the record books once again.
His treble against Algeria also expanded an exclusive FIFA World Cup record. Messi has now scored against 10 different nations at the global finals, adding Algeria to a list that already included Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands and France.
The hat-trick elevated Messi into another select club in the competition’s history.
Before Tuesday’s match, 54 hat-tricks had been recorded in FIFA World Cup history by 50 different players. Messi’s achievement raised those figures to 55 hat-tricks scored by 51 players.
Only four players have previously managed to score two FIFA World Cup hat-tricks: Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis, France’s Just Fontaine, West Germany’s Gerd Müller and Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, who remains the only player to have recorded hat-tricks in two different tournaments.
FIFA World Cup hat-tricks remain among the rarest feats in football. The first was scored by American Bert Patenaude against Paraguay at the inaugural tournament in 1930. Only two players have managed the feat in a FIFA World Cup final — England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 and France’s Kylian Mbappé in 2022.
Messi’s masterclass ensured his name is now firmly etched into that distinguished list.
For Argentina, the victory provided a perfect start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. For Messi, it was another night when records tumbled, history beckoned, and football’s enduring superstar once again demonstrated why he remains one of the game’s greatest-ever players.
Source: Sports Village Square
