Messi Hat-Trick Ties Klose's World Cup Goals Record
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- Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick to give defending champions Argentina a 3-0 win over Algeria in their Group J opener at Kansas City's GEHA Field on June 17, 2026, in front of 69,045 fans.
- The treble drew Messi level with Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 all-time World Cup goals and, at 38, made him the oldest player to score multiple times in a World Cup match, surpassing Roger Milla's record.
- The goals arrived exactly 20 years to the day after Messi's World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 — a match in which he also scored — and the cap against Algeria was his 200th international appearance.
- Messi avoided a potential red card in the 32nd minute after raking his studs down the calf of Algeria defender Aissa Mandi; referee Szymon Marciniak awarded only a foul with no apparent VAR review.
- Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told FIFA he had "no words" to describe Messi, calling him an inspiration for 20 years, while Sky Sports' Laura Hunter noted he led the match with six shots, four touches in the opposition box, and seven passes into the final third.
- Messi has never won a World Cup Golden Boot, and the article frames this tournament — likely his last — as his chance to claim it before stepping down from the world stage.
Why it matters: Argentina's title defense launches with their 38-year-old captain equalling the all-time World Cup scoring record on his 200th cap, instantly resetting the ceiling for the defending champions. With Messi already matching Klose on 16 tournament goals in game one, the record outright is within reach — and the individual Golden Boot he has never won becomes a live storyline for what may be his final World Cup.
