Argentina 3 Algeria 0: Lionel Messi becomes joint top World Cup scorer EVER with hat-trick in opening game of 2026

WHOEVER writes Lionel Messi’s scripts is at it again. On the occasion of his 200th Argentina cap, of course Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick – 20 years to the day since his first tournament goal. And so the little man not only extended his all-time high of finals appearances to 27, he also drew level with Miroslav Klose as the most prolific player in the competition’s history, with 16 strikes. For good measure, the Algerian goalkeeper beaten by Messi’s treble was Luca Zidane, son of another World Cup legend Zinedine, who was there in Kansas City to see it. Kylian Mbappe’s brace for France against Senegal earlier in the day had edged him past Messi and up to third place alongside Gerd Muller with 14. But Argentina’s captain was in no mood to be upstaged. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP Messi emphatically became only the second man to find the net at five different World Cups. The first? Cristiano Ronaldo, naturally. Yet just by taking the field, Messi had beaten his rival by a few hours to the honour of becoming the first male six-timer at the finals. Every time either icon plays these days, it seems like one record or another is on the line. But what Messi cares about more than anything is doing what even the great Diego Maradona never could – leading Argentina to back-to-back wins following the long-awaited triumph in 2022. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Fifa, as if wanting to boost the feelgood factor, had even appointed Poland’s Szymon Marciniak as referee, the man who oversaw the final in Qatar. One of his assistants from four years ago was running the line again, while the other was VAR on this occasion. And Messi began this World Cup in the form he finished the last. The dream start almost came sooner, but he was offside before putting the ball in the net in the fifth minute. So was Algeria’s Fares Chaibi when he beat Emi Martinez three minutes later. There was no debate about the opener when it came, though. Rodrigo de Paul, Messi’s Inter Miami team-mate, found the little man with a dagger of a pass through the heart of the Algerian team. Messi advanced and hit a shot from outside the box which goalkeeper Zidane should have stopped, but allowed through his hands into the net. Dad Zizou could only look on grimly from the stands. It was a tough blow for Algeria, particularly after they had started well and briefly thought they had taken the lead. They struggled for a while to have meaningful possession in their attacking third, and Argentina were happy to control the game without pushing too hard for a second goal. But the Africans had some encouragement towards the end of the half. They began to find some space and Chaibi was well off target with two half chances, one a header, the other a shot from distance. World Cup 2026 - all the info LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize. England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought. But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance. SunSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament LATEST NEWS - Walker joins Proper Football Daily to preview England vs Croatia - Lionel Messi to make staggering 200TH Argentina appearance - Redknapp opens up on 14-day spell as boss of World Cup minnows - Iran team ‘forced to leave US’ just MINUTES after World Cup opener - Mind-boggling Messi stat reveals shock truth about his new role KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Argentina were hanging on somewhat and welcomed the break. Early in the second half, they regained the momentum and both Messi and De Paul had opportunities to extend the lead. But Messi fired over the bar and De Paul failed to pick the right pass in a dangerous-looking break. Zidane kept out a Lautaro Martinez shot well as his team tried to make openings of their own and ended up leaving gaps at their end of the field. Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni immediately replaced Martinez with Julian Alvarez in a double substitution before the hour which emphasised his strength in depth. Zidane was at fault again for Argentina and Messi’s second. The Algerian ‘keeper parried Alexis Mac Allister’s shot out in front of him and the blue-and-white striped No10 pounced for number two. The hat-trick would have soon followed but Zidane clawed back some credit with a good save to his left. Algeria kept going and substitute Houssem Aouar fired just wide. But Messi ended the faint hopes of a comeback with his brutal third, a left-footed shot lashed past Zidane and inside his right-hand post. Messi stayed on until the 80th minute, when he was replaced by Nico Paz. CLICK ON PIC FOR STAR’S PROFILE So much for the hamstring injury which briefly raised doubts about whether the great man would even make it to the tournament. So much for doubts around his age, and that playing in the MLS had blunted his skills and his hunger. So much for the cynics. Yet again, it feels like this is Lionel Messi’s world, and everyone else just lives in it.