On a crisp matchday in Kansas City, Missouri, where a sea of 69,045 fans packed the NFL Chiefs’ home stadium draped in Argentina’s sky blue and white, Lionel Messi turned the opening game of the World Cup into a historic milestone that will go down in soccer lore.
After slotting home his first goal of the night in the opening minutes off a clever pass from his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the normally unflappable Argentine captain let his emotions spill over, pressing his sweat-soaked jersey to his face to wipe away tears. He would go on to add two more strikes: an opportunistic rebound finish early in the second half, and a clinical, sharp strike just before he exited the pitch to a full standing ovation from the crowd, which was overwhelmingly tilted in Argentina’s favor. The 3-0 win over Algeria cemented a historic hat trick, and pulled Messi level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most career goals in men’s World Cup history.
The landmark achievement carried extra weight: it came exactly 20 years to the day that Messi made his own World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro, where he also scored as a teenage prospect. With the three goals, he also became only the second player ever to score in five different World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. This opening match also marked Messi’s 200th senior international cap for Argentina, dating back to his first call-up in 2005 at 18 years old — putting him third on the all-time list for most men’s international appearances, behind only Ronaldo and Kuwait’s Bader al-Mutawa.
In the lead-up to the tournament, questions lingered over a minor hamstring injury that had sidelined Messi slightly during his club season with Inter Miami, as well as whether the 36-year-old (who turns 39 next week) could lead Argentina to become only the third men’s team to win consecutive World Cup titles. Those questions were fully answered on the pitch. After the match, Messi opened up briefly about his emotional reaction to the opening goal, noting that the outpouring came after a stretch of difficult personal days unrelated to football, before thanking his teammates and staff for their support.
“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I’m living though now is the cherry on top,” Messi said in his post-match press conference. “I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”
Messi’s historic night even overshadowed standout performances from two of the sport’s other biggest global stars on the same day. Kylian Mbappé of France notched a brace in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal to climb to 14 career World Cup goals, while Erling Haaland scored twice in Norway’s 4-1 victory over Iraq. Even Haaland, one of the top young strikers in the game, took to social media during Argentina’s match to pay tribute, writing simply: “Messi is a madman.”
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni could barely find words to describe his captain’s performance. “At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say? He’s incredible,” Scaloni said.
Algeria’s manager Vladimir Petkovic echoed that praise, highlighting Messi’s enduring class after two decades at the top of the sport. “Class is permanent,” Petkovic said. “He’s fortunate to have the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him, and supports him, and for a number of years now — decades — he’s done incredible things.”
De Paul, who set up Messi’s opening goal, emphasized that the Argentine captain’s greatest strength goes far beyond individual scoring, noting that he prioritizes the team’s success over personal milestones. “It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.”
Messi-mania has gripped the Kansas City metro ever since Argentina set up their World Cup base camp in the region two weeks ago, with thousands of fans trekking to the match wearing Messi’s iconic number 10 jersey to catch a glimpse of the player widely considered soccer’s greatest of all time, nicknamed the GOAT. Even a pre-match watch party downtown included a lighthearted moment where a goat wearing an Argentina jersey appeared on stage alongside former NFL quarterback Jameis Winston — a fitting joke that foreshadowed Messi’s career-defining performance just an hour later.
With 16 career World Cup goals already, Klose’s all-time record looks set to fall to Messi in the coming weeks of the tournament. The hat trick was Messi’s first ever in World Cup play, his 11th for the Argentine national team, and the 61st of his entire professional career. It also extended his streak to five consecutive World Cup matches with at least one goal, further cementing his unmatched legacy on soccer’s biggest stage.