Messi makes World Cup history with first hat-trick for Argentina

Even on a day when Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland each scored twice, Lionel Messi still owned the World Cup stage. The 38-year-old delivered his first hat-trick in the tournament, steering Argentina past Algeria 3-0 in Kansas City and turning a crowded showcase of younger stars into another assertion of his staying power. He became the first player to appear in six FIFA World Cups, exactly 20 years after his debut in 2006.

The night also carried a heavy statistical charge. Messi’s three goals moved him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals, and the performance came in his 200th international appearance for Argentina. At 38, he became the oldest World Cup hat-trick scorer, adding another record to a career already defined by endurance as much as genius. With about 10 minutes left, he left the field to a standing ovation after a display that belonged to the very top tier of World Cup memory.

For Argentina, the result underlined why Messi remains central to a defending champion’s ambitions. Lionel Scaloni entered the tournament with the weight of Qatar 2022 behind him, balancing Messi’s minutes while leaning on a familiar core that included Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and Julián Álvarez. The match began with a setback when Messi’s first goal attempt was ruled offside, but he recovered with the composure that has defined his international career.

That sequence mattered because it showed more than a scoring line. Mbappe and Haaland had announced themselves early, but Messi answered on the sport’s biggest stage with record-chasing authority, tactical influence and the force to dominate the same day’s headlines. In a tournament built around a larger field and more global attention, Argentina’s captain made the night feel smaller, older and still unmistakably his.