Lionel Messi once again demonstrated that his story with the Argentine National Team seems to have no limits. In the 3-0 victory over Algeria in the debut of the Group J of the 2026 World Cup, the captain scored all three goals of the match and starred in a night that will be remembered as one of the most important of his career, not only for his performance but also for the number of records he achieved.
The presentation in Kansas City had a special significance from the start. In addition to marking Argentina's debut in the defense of the title won in Qatar 2022, it represented the 200th match for the Flea in the albiceleste jersey and his twentieth anniversary since the first match played in a World Cup.
With his hat trick, the Rosario native reached 16 World Cup goals and tied the German Miroslav Klose at the top of the tournament's all-time scoring table. In addition to the German, he entered the match behind two legends, namely Gerd Müller (14) and Ronaldo Nazario (15) (*he also surpassed Mbappé, who had reached 14 goals with his double against Senegal just hours earlier), and in just one night he caught up with them all to share the top spot.
The milestones did not end there. With Cristiano Ronaldo's debut pending (he could play today against the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Guillermo Ochoa (who did not play in Mexico's debut), Messi officially became the first player to participate in six editions of the World Cup, an unprecedented mark that reinforces the magnitude of his international career. Additionally, he joined the select group of players who have scored in five different World Cups, a record he shares with CR7.
