Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass for the ages on Tuesday night, firing a brilliant hat-trick to equal the all-time World Cup goals record as defending champions Argentina kicked off their title defense with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium.
The 38-year-old superstar, making history as the first player to appear in six World Cups, lit up the 69,045-capacity venue in his 200th international appearance. Messi’s dazzling display lifted him alongside Germany legend Miroslav Klose at the summit of the tournament’s scoring charts with 16 goals.
From the moment the Argentine captain led his side out, the occasion crackled with electricity. It took him just 17 minutes to draw level with Gerd Müller and Kylian Mbappé on 14 World Cup strikes, curling home a trademark beauty to open the scoring.
Messi then pounced on a rebound from Alexis Mac Allister’s shot in the 60th minute to move clear of that duo and onto 15 goals, joining Brazil’s Ronaldo. The crowning moment arrived in the 76th minute when he swept a low drive into the net from the edge of the area, drawing level with Klose’s long-standing record.
The Kansas City crowd responded with a thunderous standing ovation as Messi was withdrawn four minutes later, his night’s work complete in a performance that underlined why he remains football’s eternal magician.
After the match, the humble superstar played down his latest milestone. “It’s an honor to be there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose or the others, Ronaldo is there too but I don’t think it means anything,” Messi said. “In the end, it’s just a statistic and nothing more.”
Argentina’s ruthless display sends a clear warning to the rest of the field as they chase back-to-back World Cup titles, having edged France in a dramatic final in Qatar four years ago.
Mbappé and Haaland also shine
In other Group action on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé wasted little time answering his critics, netting twice as France defeated Senegal 3-1. The French talisman moved past Olivier Giroud to become his country’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two clinical finishes in a 4-1 romp over Iraq, taking his tally for his country to 57 goals in just 51 appearances. Substitute Leo Ostigård and an own goal completed the scoring for the Scandinavians.
In the late kickoff, debutants Jordan grabbed their first-ever World Cup goal through Ali Olwan, but Austria recovered to win 3-1 thanks to strikes from Romano Schmid and Marko Arnautović, plus an own goal.
As the 2026 tournament bursts into life, Messi has once again reminded the world why he is the greatest of his generation. Argentina are up and running and the footballing planet is watching.
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