Lionel Messi made history on Tuesday night by delivering his first World Cup hat trick during a match against Algeria, celebrated in front of thousands of Argentina fans at Arrowhead Stadium. This performance allowed him to tie with Miroslav Klose's record for the most goals scored in World Cup tournaments, marking a significant milestone in Messi's illustrious career.
The Argentine maestro opened the scoring in the early minutes with a brilliant assist from his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul. He followed up with his second goal quickly after halftime and completed his hat trick just before being subbed out, receiving a standing ovation from the exuberant crowd.
This hat trick came 20 years to the day after Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006, where he also found the back of the net against Serbia and Montenegro. With this recent achievement, Messi became only the second player in history to score in five different World Cup editions, further solidifying his legacy in the sport.
Throughout his six World Cup appearances, Messi has amassed an impressive total of 16 goals. Given his current form, it seems highly likely that Klose's record of 16 goals will be surpassed in the upcoming matches. The hat trick against Algeria was also the 61st of Messi's career, with 11 of those goals scored while representing his national team.
Messi's performance overshadowed that of other star players, including Kylian Mbappé of France and Erling Haaland of Norway, who both had standout games on the same day. Mbappé managed to score twice in France's 3-1 victory over Senegal and is now tied for fourth place on the World Cup scoring list with 14 goals. Haaland also shone with two goals in Norway's convincing 4-1 win over Iraq.
At nearly 39 years old, Messi has been battling a minor hamstring injury recently, which has affected his play with Inter Miami leading up to the World Cup. Despite these setbacks, he showcased his prowess in a warm-up match against Iceland last week, converting a penalty kick in just 20 minutes of play.
Tuesday night's match against Algeria marked another significant milestone for Messi, as it was his 200th appearance for the Argentine national team. He began his international career in 2005 at the tender age of 18. Currently, the only players who have more appearances are Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who will reach his 229th appearance, and Bader al-Mutawa from Kuwait, with 202 international games.
Argentina, among the teams stationed in the Kansas City metro area, has been met with an overwhelming wave of enthusiasm from fans since their arrival approximately two weeks prior. On match day, thousands of supporters donned Messi’s iconic No. 10 jersey, filling the stadium and passionately cheering for their hero from Rosario. Additionally, a watch party in the downtown Power & Light District featured a humorous moment with a goat wearing an Argentina jersey, accompanied by former NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, which seemed to be a fitting omen for Messi's later accomplishments that evening.
As Messi continues to ascend the ranks of soccer's all-time greats, the case for him being the greatest of all time (GOAT) becomes increasingly undeniable with every goal he scores in the World Cup.
