Lionel Messi delivered a landmark performance for Argentina on Tuesday night into Wednesday, leading the Albiceleste to a 3-0 win over Algeria in the 2026 World Cup. The match at Arrowhead Stadium marked his 200th appearance for the national team, his sixth World Cup, and saw him equal Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record.
After the final whistle, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was visibly emotional. “Messi? I have no words to describe him, really none,” he said. “Everything I say will be unnecessary. I met him after the game, I just kissed him and told him I love him very much. We will miss him the day he stops playing. He has been doing this for 20 years and it is simply incredible.”
Messi also explained why he was seen in tears on the pitch. “Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football,” he said. “I went through some difficult days personally, but I am grateful to all my teammates. They were always by my side, gave me a lot of strength and helped me get through this period.” He added that he still loves playing, called football his childhood passion, and said, “It is a great honor to compete against the greats,” while noting that the Klose record is “just statistics.”
The hat trick gave Messi several more milestones. He became the player involved in the most World Cup goals ever, with 22, and the oldest player to score more than once in a match, at 38 years and 357 days. His first World Cup goal came on June 16, 2006, against Serbia and Montenegro, and his latest came exactly 20 years later, on June 16, 2026, against Algeria, the longest span between a player’s first and last World Cup goals.
Rodrigo De Paul said Messi is not chasing records, joking that “he really does not know most of them” and “simply reaches them naturally.” Alexis Mac Allister added that anyone who thought Argentina were better without Messi “got a clear answer today,” calling him the team’s most important player.
