Messi Makes History with World Cup Hat Trick in Argentina’s 3-0 Win
Lionel Messi added another landmark to his career on Tuesday night into Wednesday, starring in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in the defending world champion’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup. The Argentina captain, who turns 39 in exactly one week, scored a hat trick in his 200th appearance for the national team.
At 38 years and 357 days, Messi became the oldest player ever to score a World Cup hat trick, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. He also became the first player to appear in six different World Cups, having now played in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
The hat trick was Messi’s first in a World Cup, though he now has 11 hat tricks for Argentina overall. He has also scored a five-goal haul in a 2022 friendly against Estonia and a World Cup qualifying hat trick against Bolivia. The performance lifted his World Cup total to 16 goals, tying Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time scoring chart.
The article notes that Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice later that night, has 14 World Cup goals and remains in the chase at age 27. Messi’s latest goal also came exactly 20 years after his first World Cup strike, when he scored against Serbia in 2006 as a rising young talent.
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