In his 200th match with the National Team, where he scored a hat-trick, the Rosario star surpassed several records in the World Cups
His performance also allowed him to set new records related to longevity. At 38 years old, he became the oldest player to score a brace and also the oldest to sign a hat trick in a World Cup, surpassing records that belonged to Roger Milla and Cristiano, respectively.
Lionel Messi once again demonstrated that his story with the Argentine National Team seems to have no limits. In the 3-0 victory over Algeria in the debut of the Group J of the 2026 World Cup, the captain scored all three goals of the match and starred in a night that will be remembered as one of the most important of his career, not only for his performance but also for the number of records he achieved.
The presentation in Kansas City had a special significance from the start. In addition to marking Argentina's debut in the defense of the title won in Qatar 2022, it represented the 200th match for the Flea in the albiceleste jersey and his twentieth anniversary since the first match played in a World Cup.
With his hat trick, the Rosario native reached 16 World Cup goals and tied the German Miroslav Klose at the top of the tournament's all-time scoring table. In addition to the German, he entered the match behind two legends, namely Gerd Müller (14) and Ronaldo Nazario (15) (*he also surpassed Mbappé, who had reached 14 goals with his double against Senegal just hours earlier), and in just one night he caught up with them all to share the top spot.
The milestones did not end there. With Cristiano Ronaldo's debut pending (he could play today against the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Guillermo Ochoa (who did not play in Mexico's debut), Messi officially became the first player to participate in six editions of the World Cup, an unprecedented mark that reinforces the magnitude of his international career. Additionally, he joined the select group of players who have scored in five different World Cups, a record he shares with CR7.
The goals against Algeria also expanded his dominance in other statistical categories. The first and third goals came from outside the box, allowing him to become the player with the most goals of that kind in World Cup history.
Moreover, the African team became the eleventh different national team he has scored against in the competition, another absolute record, as no other player has managed to score against so many different opponents in the highest football event. Messi's list of victims in the World Cups includes Serbia and Montenegro, Mexico, Nigeria, Bosnia, Iran, Croatia, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Saudi Arabia, and now Algeria.
Another striking fact is that the first goal of the match came exactly twenty years after his first World Cup goal, scored on June 16, 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany. This time difference represents the longest period between the first and last goal of the same player in the history of the tournament.
While Argentina celebrates an ideal start, Messi continues to expand a collection of records that seemed complete years ago. And in his possible last World Cup, he still has room to continue making history.
