Lionel Messi marked what he called his sixth World Cup with a hat-trick and led Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening match on Wednesday morning, one week before his 39th birthday. The performance added another major achievement to the career of the player widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time.
After the match, Messi said, "I love playing football. It has been my love since I was little. And when I am in good shape, I give everything on the pitch. This is my sixth World Cup, and I feel in good shape. Fortunately, I am succeeding, and today we managed to win a difficult game."
He also thanked Argentina supporters, saying they had shown how special the country is by filling the stadium, which he estimated held about 80,000 people. Messi said their support continued whether the team was in Qatar or now in the United States, and added that he hoped they enjoyed the moment as much as the players did.
Messi explained that he cried after his first goal for reasons unrelated to football, saying he had gone through several difficult days and thanking the delegation and his teammates for helping him through it. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called it a very difficult match and said the result came from Messi's brilliance and the team's ability to suffer and work. He added, quoting Pablo Aimar, that Messi will remain the best "as long as he wants to be," and urged fans to enjoy him while they can.
