Lionel Messi scored a memorable hat trick and led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in the world champions’ opening match at the 2026 World Cup, but his tearful reaction after his first goal had a personal cause. Reports in Argentina say the 38-year-old was affected by a serious medical problem involving his father, Jorge Messi, though no official details were released.
After the game, Messi did not elaborate, saying, “Honestly, this is something that has nothing to do with sports.” He added, “I’ve had a few hard and complicated days,” and thanked his teammates and the national team staff for supporting him: “They were always by my side and gave me a lot of strength so I could be okay.”
The emotional night also carried historic milestones. Messi became the first player ever to appear in six different World Cups, a record matched by Cristiano Ronaldo a day earlier. At 38 years and 357 days, he also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick, breaking Ronaldo’s previous mark from 2018.
His three goals took him level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring chart, with 16 goals. The achievement also came exactly 20 years after Messi’s first World Cup goal, which he scored as a teenager against Serbia in 2006.
