Messi shows his magic again with hat-trick against Algeria

Exactly 20 years after his first World Cup goal and 200th international match, Lionel Messi continues to create magic effortlessly. Why would anyone doubt him?

Messi's hat-trick against Algeria helped defending champions Argentina get off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win. It was the attacker's 27th match in six editions of the tournament. The young teenager who scored against Serbia on June 16, 2006 is now a 38-year-old veteran — but remains the center of attention.

“I have no words to describe Messi,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told the press after the match. “We've been used to this kind of thing for 20 years, and he inspires everyone who watches him.”

“The GOAT is in top form,” said midfielder Enzo Fernandez, while his teammate Rodrigo De Paul, also a player for Inter Miami and Argentina, called him an “animal”. “What makes me happiest is that he is enjoying it, he is no longer carrying the pressure that he carried for so long,” De Paul told Argentine broadcaster DSports. “Everyone knows his mentality, he lets himself enjoy himself a little bit because he is focused on helping us, the team, but I think he is good, he is happy and that is contagious for the group.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the new generation of elite attackers, who have been in Messi's shadow forever, tried to take center stage. France striker Kylian Mbappe, who played with Messi at Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2023, scored twice in his team's 3-1 win over Senegal, including a stunning long-range shot. Erling Haaland also scored twice in his debut at a major international tournament, in Norway's 4-1 win over Iraq.

Mbappe's second goal took him to 14 goals in 15 World Cup matches, two behind all-time top scorer Miroslav Klose. Within hours, however, Messi had overtaken him and drew level with Klose.

In response to the Argentine victory, Haaland posted a message on social media with a crown emoji and the caption: “Messi is a fool.” Thomas Muller, who scored 10 goals in 19 World Cup appearances for Germany, posted a photo on Instagram of himself playing for Vancouver Whitecaps against Messi in the MLS, and also called him the greatest of all time.

Messi broke a number of records with his performances at the Kansas City Stadium. He took a record from iconic Cameroonian striker Roger Milla and became the oldest player to score more than once in a World Cup match. At 38 years and 357 days, he became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the tournament, surpassing his rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who was 33 years and 130 days old when he scored all of Portugal's goals in a thrilling 3–3 draw with Spain in Russia 2018.

No wonder Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, Messi's former teammates, bowed during their comments. He will likely break more records in the coming weeks. Next on his list — besides overtaking Klose — is becoming the third player, after Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jairzinho in 1970, to score in six consecutive World Cup appearances. He is now on five, including the four games Argentina won in the 2022 knockout stages.

“I swear to you, he doesn't know, he doesn't care (record breaking),” De Paul added. “Sometimes we sit there in the room drinking mate and thenwe say to him: 'Hey little one, you are one or two goals shy of a record.' He has no idea. I don't know how that happens, but we always tell him and he doesn't think about it. Sometimes we goad Leo to see if he can break records, and he ends up doing it. He's incredible.”


This was Algeria's first World Cup appearance since 2014 and you had to feel a little sorry for them seeing how they were split up. They will also be frustrated that Messi remained on the pitch after his left foot struck Aissa Mandi's right leg at 1-0.

Mandi, the Algeria captain, told the press: “What made the difference is that they have a player who is ruthless - almost every chance he gets ends up in the net. He (Messi) could be the best player of all time. We tried to stop him as much as we could, but it didn't work — he was too good for us.”

On beIN Sports, ex-Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez agreed: “They have Messi. That made the difference.”

Messi's first goal was a powerful left-foot shot from outside the box. He showed fantastic instincts for his second by capitalizing on a rebound. His third was fired into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box. Algeria's goalkeeper was Luca Zidane, the son of Zinedine Zidane. The 1998 World Cup winner with France was in the stands, adding another layer of intrigue to a remarkable performance.

Messi is a threat from anywhere on the pitch and he has now scored more goals from outside the box in a World Cup than any other player since 1966. He is tied with Brazilian Rivellino on five goals.

“Messi plays with complete freedom,” Carli Lloyd, who won the Women's World Cup twice with the United States, wrote on X. “He has already achieved the ultimate goal by winning the World Cup, and that makes him even more dangerous this tournament. No pressure or expectations to meet — just pure football. Enjoy every moment while we still can. There's just no one like him.”

Messi also became the second player to score in five World Cups — Ronaldo can become the first to score in six on Wednesday when Portugal take on DR Congo.

Failing to score in five games at the 2010 World Cup is the only time Messi's superior standards have dipped on this stage. He played every minute as Argentina won all its group stage matches and defeated Mexico in the round of 16, but were defeated 4–0 by Germany in the quarter-finals.

However, Messi has further bragging rights over Ronaldo. He has scored nine times in the World Cup since the 41-year-old scored his last goal for Portugal in a 3-2 group stage win over Ghana in 2022. And, of course, Messi went on to lift the trophy that year — something his great rival was unable to achieve.

"Everything I experience now is a bonus," Messi told the press after the match against Algeria. “I have been fortunate to achieve all my dreams — or even more than I ever dreamed — professionally and personally. Now I'm just enjoying this, being part of a great group, feeling good and being able to enjoy being on the pitch.This is so much more than I could have ever imagined as a kid."

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