Messi Hat Trick Ties Klose as World Cup All-Time Top
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- Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in Argentina's win over Algeria in Kansas City, moving level with Miroslav Klose atop the all-time World Cup scoring charts with 16 goals and becoming the first player to appear in six World Cups.
- Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal, becoming Les Bleus' all-time leading scorer with 58 goals in 99 internationals and climbing to third on the all-time World Cup scoring list with 14 goals, surpassing Pelé and Messi.
- Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut — Norway's first game in the tournament since 1998 — with two goals against Iraq in Boston, taking his international tally to 57 goals in 51 appearances.
- Messi's opening goal came exactly 20 years to the day after his first World Cup strike (against Serbia and Montenegro at Germany 2006), and he also marked his 200th international appearance with his 118th career goal for Argentina.
- The article notes that Cristiano Ronaldo has just 8 World Cup goals since 2006, leaving him far behind Messi (16) and Mbappé (14) in the tournament's all-time rankings.
- Haaland missed a chance at this World Cup's first hat trick late against Iraq when he took too long to switch to his left foot, allowing the goalkeeper to save.
Why it matters: Three of football's biggest stars all scored on the same day, but the 38-year-old Messi once again proved he's still setting the standard — and the record he tied Tuesday is one Mbappé could plausibly claim before this tournament ends. That shifting of the guard, or the resistance to it, is the story of this World Cup.
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