Lionel Messi has officially done it all. The man just shattered yet another record, becoming the most decorated player in FIFA World Cup history. He celebrated by scoring his first tournament hat-trick against Algeria, leading Argentina to a tidy 3-0 victory.
He made history the moment he stepped onto the pitch at Kansas City Stadium. It was his sixth World Cup appearance, a record no other man has achieved. Oh, and it was also his 200th international appearance. Just a casual Tuesday night for the legend.
A Night for the Ages
Messi's first goal of the night, a mere 17 minutes in, tied Kylian Mbappe's 14 World Cup goals. Mbappe had actually surpassed Messi hours earlier, which, if you think about it, is just Messi's way of saying, "Hold my beer."
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Start Your News DetoxHis initial goal in the fourth minute was disallowed, but he quickly scored his 15th after a rebound from Algerian keeper Luca Zidane. Because apparently, even the universe knows not to deny Messi for long.
This special night came exactly 20 years after Messi's World Cup debut in 2006. He was 18 then, probably just happy to be there. Now? He's completing hat-tricks, matching Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals, and racking up his 120th international career goal. The man is a walking, dribbling highlight reel.
The Argentina captain left the field to a standing ovation from nearly 70,000 fans. He was substituted with Nico Paz, presumably so the stadium could just collectively catch its breath.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, was once Argentina's youngest World Cup scorer. Now, he's the oldest World Cup hat-trick scorer, snatching that title from Cristiano Ronaldo. He also became the first player to score in five consecutive World Cup matches. His latest goal? His first in the 2026 tournament. Yes, 2026. The man is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
Argentina, the defending champions, started their campaign strong. Messi will aim to break even more records against Austria on Monday in Dallas, then Jordan on June 27. If he leads Argentina to another title, he'll be the first Argentinian captain to do so. Not even Diego Maradona achieved that feat. Let that sink in.
