Lionel Messi's Hat Trick Shines in Argentina's 3-0 World Cup Victory
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lionel Messi stood alone for a moment in the Kansas City heat, jersey pressed to his face, tears cutting through the sweat.
This was not the script for a man who has seen everything football can offer. Not for the player who has carried Argentina for two decades, who has lifted the World Cup, who has heard every superlative in every language. But as the ball hit the net in the opening minutes against Algeria, something inside him gave way.
Then he did what he always does.
He scored again. And again.
By the end of Argentina’s 3–0 win in their World Cup opener, the questions about his hamstring, his age, even his capacity to keep bending the sport to his will, felt almost insulting. At 38, turning 39 next week, Messi had produced a ruthless hat trick that dragged him level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the men’s World Cup scoring charts.
Sixteen goals on this stage. Tied for the all-time record. Still not finished.
A night of history, 20 years in the making
The symmetry of the evening was impossible to ignore. Exactly 20 years to the day since a skinny teenager from Rosario made his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro — and scored — Messi stepped onto the field for his sixth edition of the tournament. Only one other man has done that. Only one other, Cristiano Ronaldo, has scored in five.
Messi joined him there as well.
His first goal, the one that broke him open emotionally, came early. Rodrigo De Paul, his Inter Miami teammate and long-time national-team lieutenant, slipped a clever ball into space. Messi did the rest, as he has for two decades, gliding into the box and finishing with the kind of inevitability that still stuns, even now.
Those tears? They weren’t about tactics or form.
“I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to football. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said afterward. “I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”
The second goal arrived early in the second half, Messi alive to a loose ball in the box and pouncing on a rebound, a predator’s finish from a player whose game has become more cerebral with age but whose instincts remain razor sharp.
The third was pure technique. A crisp strike, clean and ruthless, just moments before he walked off to a standing ovation from 69,045 fans, most of them draped in the white and sky blue of La Albiceleste.
Hat trick complete. World Cup crowd on its feet. Record in sight.
“I’m at a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “He’s incredible.”
This was the 61st hat trick of Messi’s career, his 11th for Argentina and his first ever at a World Cup. It also extended his streak to five consecutive World Cup matches with a goal, another line on a résumé that no longer seems to have space for new records.
“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I’m living through now is the cherry on top,” Messi said. “I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”
Still the engine, even with a hamstring scare
Only a few weeks ago, the conversation around Messi sounded very different. A minor hamstring problem with Inter Miami had slowed him in the build-up to the tournament. Every sprint, every substitution, every ice pack drew scrutiny.
Then came the tuneup against Iceland. Twenty sharp minutes. A penalty converted. No sign of hesitation.
“This is my sixth World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape,” Messi said. “Fortunately, I’m doing well, and today we managed to win a tough match. It’s important to start the tournament with a victory in the first game, as that’s never easy in a World Cup.”
His appearance against Algeria marked his 200th cap for Argentina, a number that once sounded impossible for any outfield player. Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwait’s Bader al-Mutawa have more, with 229 and 202 respectively.
The volume of games has not dulled the edge. It has refined it.
“Class is permanent,” Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “He’s fortunate to have the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him, and supports him, and for a number of years now — decades — he’s done incredible things.”
On this evidence, Argentina still revolve around him. The structure, the pressing, the balance — all built to amplify his talent. He no longer needs to run more than everyone else. He just needs to run at the right time.
And when he does, matches tilt.
Messi, Mbappé, Haaland — and one clear headline
On a day packed with star turns, Messi still stole the show.
In another city, Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France’s 3–1 win over Senegal, moving to 14 World Cup goals and into a tie for fourth on the men’s all-time list. In yet another, Erling Haaland bullied Iraq with two goals in Norway’s 4–1 victory.
Both are meant to be heirs to this era. Both delivered.
But as Argentina dismantled Algeria, Haaland watched like everyone else.
“Messi is a madman,” he posted on Snapchat during the game.
It felt less like a throwaway line and more like a resigned acknowledgment from the next generation: the king is not done yet.
The Heartland turns sky blue
Argentina chose the Kansas City metro as one of four national-team base camps. The region has responded as if a traveling circus of legends has set up shop.
For two weeks, Messi-mania has rolled through the Midwest. Training sessions drew crowds. Hotel lobbies filled with fans desperate for a glimpse, a selfie, a signature. On match day, the pilgrimage moved toward the home of the NFL’s Chiefs, a sea of No. 10 shirts pouring into the stadium on the city’s edge.
They sang his name long before kickoff. They sang it louder after the first goal. By the time he walked off, the sound was a roar.
Downtown, at the Power & Light District watch party, the spectacle took a literal turn. A goat, escorted on stage by former NFL quarterback and Fox broadcaster Jameis Winston, wore an Argentina jersey, a living, bleating nod to the “GOAT” debate that has raged for years.
An hour later, Messi scored. The joke felt like prophecy.
With each match, the argument over whether he is the greatest of all time loses oxygen. The records keep falling. The performances keep coming. The doubts keep shrinking.
“It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.”
Argentina left Kansas City with three points, a clean sheet, and their captain level at the top of the World Cup scoring charts. The hamstring scare has faded. The calendar says 39 is around the corner.
The football says something else entirely: how many more records can he break before this World Cup is over?
