Lionel Messi produced another landmark night for Argentina in Kansas City early Wednesday, scoring a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria at the 2026 World Cup. The performance lifted him level with Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer, with 16 goals.
The moment that drew the most attention was Messi’s tears after his opening goal in the 17th minute. At first, the emotion was widely linked to the pressure of what could be his last World Cup or to the crowd’s reaction, but Argentine radio station Mitre reported that the real reason was personal and difficult days leading up to the match.
According to the report, Messi’s father and longtime manager, Jorge Messi, has been dealing with a serious medical issue for months, reportedly since last year. That situation weighed heavily on the Argentina captain during his preparations for the tournament.
Messi confirmed the story in his official interview. “Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football,” he said. “I went through difficult, complicated and very intense days on a personal level before this match. It all just came out at the moment of the goal.” He added that he was grateful to the team delegation and his teammates, saying they stood by him throughout and gave him the strength to get onto the pitch and get through those days.
