Messi to score his first hat-trick at the 2026 World Cup.

One match, five records. Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick, reaching 16 goals and equaling Miroslav Klose's all-time record against Algeria.

Stepping onto the pitch for the opening match against Algeria, Messi became the first player in the history of men's football to participate in six World Cups. The previous record was five, held by Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Carbajal, Andrés Guardado, Rafael Márquez, and Lothar Matthäus. None of them are still playing at their peak. Messi, however, is still scoring goals.

This was also his 200th appearance for Argentina. The number 200 in top-level football is almost unthinkable. Since his debut for the national team in a friendly against Hungary in 2005, Messi had been directly involved in 173 goals in 199 appearances before this match. The player with the second-highest number of appearances for Argentina, Javier Mascherano, stopped at 147 and retired in 2018. That gap speaks volumes.

Lionel Messi scored the opening goal with a long-range shot in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. Photo: Getty Images.

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Then the goals came. In the 17th minute, Messi unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, sending the ball into the bottom corner to open the scoring for Argentina. In the 60th minute, he capitalized on a goalkeeper's mistake to score his second goal. In the 76th minute, De Paul passed, and Messi neatly finished to complete his hat-trick before being substituted amidst the cheers of over 69,000 spectators at Kansas City Stadium.

This was Messi's first World Cup hat-trick in 20 years and 25 appearances at the biggest tournament on the planet. At 38 years old, he became the oldest player ever to score a hat-trick at a World Cup.

The opening goal also helped Messi extend his scoring streak to five consecutive World Cup matches, just short of the record of six consecutive matches set by Just Fontaine and Jairzinho in 1958 and 1970. Those two names belong to a different century. Messi is chasing them at nearly 39 years old.

Most importantly: Messi's 16 World Cup goals equal Miroslav Klose's all-time record, who scored 16 goals in four World Cups from 1998 to 2014. Klose retired in 2014 believing that record would stand the test of time. Twelve years later, a 38-year-old from Kansas City has just reached it.

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On the same day, Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Senegal, bringing his World Cup total to 14. Two more goals and Mbappe would equal Klose's record. But Messi was already there, today, in his very first match. The race to conquer the all-time record between the two greatest of their generation has officially begun.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/messi-lap-hat-trick-dau-tien-o-world-cup-2026-d816737.html