Argentina captain Lionel Messi etched his name further into football history on Tuesday, June 17, after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, equalling the men’s World Cup goals record of 16 held by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose.
The three-goal performance marked Messi’s first-ever World Cup hat-trick and the 11th hat-trick of his international career.
At 38 years old, Messi also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. The game was another milestone for the Argentine legend as it marked his 200th appearance for his national team.
Reflecting on matching Klose’s record, Messi downplayed the significance of the statistics while expressing admiration for some of football’s greatest scorers.
“It’s an honor being up there for what it means, being alongside Klose and Ronaldo, who is there also. But it doesn’t mean anything,” Messi said after the match.
He added: “It’s an honor to compete with them, but it doesn’t mean anything. For me, Ronaldo, whom I watched and who is one of the greats, is not at the top. So, it’s just stats.”
An emotional Messi was seen in tears after scoring his first goal of the night. Explaining the moment, he revealed it was linked to personal challenges rather than football.
“Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football,” he said. “I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it.”
The achievement came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro, adding another remarkable chapter to the career of one of the sport’s most celebrated players.