Lionel Messi continues to make history in world football. The Argentina captain was the absolute protagonist in the 3-0 victory over Algeria in the first match of Group J at the 2026 World Cup, scoring a hat-trick and setting several extraordinary records.
The 38-year-old scored all three of Argentina’s goals, taking his tally at the World Cup to 16. With this figure, he equaled the record of German legend Miroslav Klose, who until now stood alone at the top of the list of top scorers in World Cup history.
The performance against Algeria was historic for another reason. Messi became the first player in history to play in six consecutive World Cups, appearing in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 tournaments.
Furthermore, the Argentine star also set the record for the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. At the age of 38 years and 357 days, he broke the record of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored three goals against Spain in the 2018 World Cup at the age of 33 years and 130 days.
With his three goals against Algeria, Messi also became only the fourth Argentine to score a hat-trick in a World Cup, after Guillermo Stábile, Gabriel Batistuta and Gonzalo Higuaín.
The historic evening was completed with another impressive figure, as the match against Algeria was Messi’s 200th appearance in the Argentina jersey.
At the age of 38, Messi continues to defy time and add new chapters to a career that has long gone down in history as one of the greatest that football has ever known.
