Lionel Messi answered a day of historic scoring from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland with a three-goal performance of his own against Algeria on Tuesday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The 39-year-old Argentina captain turned what had looked like a showcase for the game’s next generation into another reminder that the World Cup remains his stage.
The article frames Messi’s display as a kind of duel of left-footed perfection, likening it to a scene from “The Princess Bride,” where a fighter switches hands to raise his level. Messi, who is indeed left-footed, was said to have done something similar by adjusting and scoring with his right foot for his second goal, after also producing two brilliant goals with his favored left.
Argentina’s victory mattered beyond the scoreboard because it helped erase memories of difficult World Cup openings. The team had started the 2018 tournament with a 1-1 draw against Iceland and opened the 2022 World Cup with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia, even after Messi scored in the first half. This time, he did not allow a collapse, and the article says he was determined to silence those who thought he was past his peak.
Messi’s hat trick was only the fifth by an Argentina player in World Cup history. It also drew him level with Miroslav Klose in the all-time World Cup scoring race, as Mbappe, who scored a double earlier in the day, continued his pursuit of that record. The piece says the result reinforced Messi’s place at the top of the sport and kept the World Cup “his” tournament for at least one more night.
