Lionel Messi made history once again by scoring a hat trick in Argentina's opening match against Algeria at the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup.
On June 17, at 10 a.m. KST, Argentina faced Algeria at Kansas City Stadium in Missouri, USA, during the group stage of the tournament.
Messi, the captain of Argentina, netted three goals, breaking numerous records across international matches, World Cups, and football history.
In his 200th international appearance, Messi achieved the symbolic milestone of being a member of the 'Century Club' twice. He also scored his 120th international goal, completing his 11th international hat trick, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 10 hat tricks.
Messi also set new records in World Cup history. With his hat trick, he now has a total of 16 World Cup goals, tying with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the most all-time. Additionally, he recorded 23 total World Cup points, surpassing Pele's previous record of 21.
Notably, Messi became the player with the most World Cup points, the most goals scored in World Cup matches, and the most points scored across World Cup tournaments.
He also set records for the most goals scored outside the box in World Cup history (6 goals), the oldest player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match, the oldest player to achieve a hat trick, and the longest span between a player's debut goal and their last goal (20 years).
This tournament marks Messi's sixth consecutive World Cup appearance. He continues to score in five consecutive tournaments, tying with Ronaldo for the most in this category.
In the broader context of football history, Messi became the first player to surpass 800 career goals from field goals, excluding penalties. This achievement is seen as a significant indicator of his pure scoring ability within the flow of the game.
After the match, football statistics outlets awarded Messi a perfect score of 10, praising his performance. His record for World Cup points broke a long-standing record that had been in place for 56 years.
Following his victory at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Messi has solidified his status as the greatest player of all time (GOAT) and continues to showcase his elite skills at the 2026 North America World Cup.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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