Read 3 minutes17 June 2026 10:40 AM IST
Lionel Messi opened his record sixth World Cup with a sensational performance as Argentina beat Algeria in their Group I opener in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
Exactly 20 years after making his World Cup debut that saw him become Argentina’s youngest ever World Cup scorer, Messi dazzled in his 200th international cap to kick off a blistering start for the reigning world champions.
Messi’s first goal came in the 17th minute, beating a shot from the left past Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane (son of French legend Zinedine Zidane) from open play outside the box. The second goal came in a canter, after a team-mate took a shot on goal, Zidane couldn’t collect it and sent it back into play where Messi was there to tap in to seal the goal.
Also read | Messi, Messi, Messi: That familiar World Cup mantra resumed after Argentina’s 3-0 win
Messi scored a record hat-trick in the 76th minute, where he finished off some good clinical play from his teammates. Messi received a standing ovation just one minute after completing the first hat-trick in World Cup history.
Three goals. A genius. Same old Messi magic. 🐐🇦🇷
Check out all 3 and tell me which was your favorite. 👀✨ pic.twitter.com/0DcdJedVgJ
— Tobs Football (@futball_lover01) 17 June 2026
The record was broken
Messi, 38, overtook his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo to become the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup. Ronaldo achieved this feat in 2018 at the age of 33.
Messi also scored his 11th hat-trick in an Argentina shirt, overhauling Ronaldo’s tally of 10 for the most hat-tricks in men’s international football. Furthermore, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner tied Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the joint-highest scorer in World Cup history.
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Most international hat-tricks
| player | Span | A hat trick |
| Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 2012-2026 | 11 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal | 2013-2021 | 10 |
| Sven Rydel (Sweden) | 1924-1932 | 9 |
| Ali Mabkhout (UAE) | 2012-2021 | 9 |
| Paul Nielsen (Norway) | 1913-1921 | 8 |
| Gerd Müller (Germany) | 1967-1972 | 8 |
Messi’s Complete List of International Hat Tricks
Messi’s latest hat-trick was the 61st of his professional career, including club and country, five behind Ronaldo’s tally of 66.
| Date | team | opponent | score | Competition | Round |
| 29/02/2012 | Argentina | Switzerland | 3-1 | friendly | 3 |
| 09/06/2012 | Argentina | Brazil | 4-3 | friendly | 3 |
| 15/06/2013 | Argentina | Guatemala | 4-0 | friendly | 3 |
| 11/06/2016 | Argentina | Panama | 5-0 | Copa America | 3 |
| 11/10/2017 | Argentina | Ecuador | 3-1 | World Cup Qualifiers | 3 |
| 30/05/2018 | Argentina | Haiti | 4-0 | friendly | 3 |
| 10/09/2021 | Argentina | Bolivia | 3-0 | World Cup Qualifiers | 3 |
| 05/06/2022 | Argentina | Estonia | 5-0 | friendly | 5 |
| 28/03/2023 | Argentina | Curacao | 7-0 | friendly | 3 |
| 15/10/2024 | Argentina | Bolivia | 6-0 | World Cup Qualifiers | 3 |
| 17/06/2026 | Argentina | Algeria | 3-0 | World Cup 2026 | 3 |