There's no one like Messi! Brilliant hat-trick and landmark records give Argentina a dream start
Nearly 39 years old, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on his 200th Argentina cap as the world champions beat Algeria 3-0, drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time top scorer and becoming the first player ever to appear at six World Cups
World champions Argentina began their title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria. Despite being almost 39, Lionel Messi delivered an extraordinary performance on his 200th international appearance, scoring a hat-trick to draw level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup all-time scoring charts on 16 goals — with the tournament still to run. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute, doubled the lead in the 60th, and completed his treble with 15 minutes remaining.
The records didn't stop there. Messi became the first player in history to appear at six World Cups — a feat Cristiano Ronaldo matched later the same day. The two icons are also the only players to have scored at five different World Cups, and Messi is the first to score at a World Cup with a 20-year gap between his first and latest goal. Until today, Ronaldo held the record as the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, having done so aged 33 in Portugal's 3-3 draw with Spain in 2018. Messi claimed that record too, netting his treble at 38.
The victory puts Argentina top of Group J, which also includes Austria and Jordan. Lionel Scaloni's side arrive at the tournament in formidable shape — unbeaten in their last 8 matches with a goal difference of 24-1 after topping CONMEBOL qualifying. Should they go all the way, they would become only the third team in history to win back-to-back World Cups.
Algeria were appearing at the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. Known for their defensive solidity — they conceded no goals in four pre-tournament friendlies — they ran into an opponent of an entirely different class today.
