2026 World Cup, the ageless Messi: a hat trick and an all-time record for Leo. “I’ve had some tough days.”
Incredible Lionel Messi: Twenty years after his World Cup debut in Germany, the Rosario star leads Argentina to victory in their 2026 World Cup opener with a stunning hat trick against Algeria. The defending world champions defeated the North Africans 3-0, led by the 38-year-old legend (who turns 39 next week), who sent the Kansas City crowd—which had turned out in droves to see him—into a frenzy.
La Pulce made history by scoring in the 17th minute with a long-range shot, and in the second half with two more goals in the 60th and 76th minutes, tying World Cup all-time leading scorer Miroslav Klose at 16 goals. Algeria, further hampered by errors from goalkeeper Luca Zidane—son of Zinedine—was powerless against the performance of the former Barcelona and PSG star, who sent a message to all the other title contenders.
After the match, an emotional Messi commented on his performance: “The truth is that, for reasons that have nothing to do with sports, I’ve had some difficult, complicated days. But I want to thank the entire delegation and all my teammates because they’ve always been by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me feel better.”
“As I always say, everything I’m experiencing right now is fantastic. I’ve been lucky enough to fulfill all my dreams, and I’ve done so as part of a team—which has taken me to a higher level than I could ever have reached on my own. Today I’m making the most of this—of a fantastic team that makes me feel good. And luckily, I can have fun on the field just as I’ve always loved to. Honestly, everything I’ve experienced is far more than I could ever have imagined as a child.”
Messi draws inspiration from Rafael Nadal: “I identify with him a lot—I think we’re similar in that regard. I like to compete and give it my all: if I can keep doing that and stay healthy, I’ll keep doing it. I love soccer; it’s been my passion since I was a kid, and when I feel good, I give it my all. Klose’s record? It’s an honor to be up there because of what it means. But for me, they’re just statistics: Ronaldo and Mbappé are also on that list, and Mbappé scored two goals in his very first game. To me, they’re just statistics. Obviously, it’s a privilege to be able to compete with them, but they’re just statistics. For me, Ronaldo was the greatest goal-scorer, and he isn’t number one. It’s just a statistic.”
