Messi Rewrites FIFA World Cup History With Hat-Trick, Sets Multiple Records

Lionel Messi continued his record-breaking FIFA World Cup journey by scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening match at the 2026 tournament. The Argentine captain reached 200 appearances for his national team in the same match and played in his sixth World Cup.

With the three goals, Messi equalled Germany's Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history with 16 total, surpassing Brazilian legend Ronaldo's 15. At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi became the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history, breaking the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has been redefining World Cup records since his debut as a teenage prodigy in 2006, consistently adding milestones throughout his career on football's grandest stage.