When I'm in good shape, I give it my all
At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, on a Tuesday evening in June 2026, Lionel Messi did what only the rarest of athletes can — he made the extraordinary feel inevitable. Scoring three times against Algeria to open Argentina's World Cup title defence, the 38-year-old drew level with Miroslav Klose's long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals, placing himself on the threshold of sole ownership of football's most storied individual mark. It was not merely a sporting result but a reminder that some careers refuse to obey the ordinary laws of time.
- A hamstring injury had cast doubt over Messi's readiness, yet within minutes he was threading the needle of a World Cup opener with the composure of a man unbothered by age or expectation.
- An early goal was disallowed for offside — a moment that could have unsettled lesser players — but Messi simply reset and struck the net from 20 yards out seventeen minutes in.
- Algeria, shorn of Riyad Mahrez from the starting lineup, managed a single shot on target all night, exposing the gulf between the defending champions and their first opponents.
- A scrambled rebound in the 60th minute and a clinical low finish in the 76th completed the hat-trick, drawing Messi level with Klose's record and sending Arrowhead Stadium into sustained ovation.
- With Austria and Jordan still to come in Group J, and Kylian Mbappe lurking two goals behind at 14, the race for football's all-time World Cup scoring record is now a matter of days, not years.
Lionel Messi walked onto the Arrowhead Stadium pitch in Kansas City carrying the weight of a hamstring scare and the expectations of a nation defending its World Cup crown. By the time he walked off, replaced in the final minutes to a standing ovation, he had scored three times against Algeria and drawn level with Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup record of 16 goals — a mark that had seemed untouchable for over a decade.
Argentina's 2022 campaign had begun in humiliation, a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia before a famous recovery. This time, there was no stumble. Messi thought he had opened the scoring after five minutes, only for a tight offside flag to deny him. He responded not with frustration but with purpose, connecting with Rodrigo de Paul before striking a 20-yard effort into the roof of the net at the 17-minute mark.
Algeria, surprisingly without Riyad Mahrez in the starting eleven, offered almost nothing in reply — one shot on target across the entire match. Messi's second came just after the hour, reacting fastest to turn in a rebound after Lautaro Martinez's shot was parried by goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of the legendary Zinedine. A penalty appeal was waved away moments later, but it barely mattered.
The hat-trick arrived in the 76th minute, a low finish from Nicolas Gonzalez's pass into the bottom corner. Coach Lionel Scaloni, searching for words afterwards, settled on the simplest truth: 'He's incredible.'
Messi now stands one goal from breaking Klose's record outright, with matches against Austria and Jordan still to come. Kylian Mbappe, two goals behind after scoring twice against Senegal, remains in pursuit — but on this evidence, the final chapter of this particular piece of history appears to be written in Argentine blue and white.
Lionel Messi scored three goals in Kansas City on Tuesday night, tying a record that has stood for more than a decade. The 38-year-old Argentine forward matched Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring mark of 16 goals as his country opened the 2026 tournament with a 3-0 victory over Algeria, a result that felt less like a contest than a coronation of the defending champions.
Argentina had stumbled into their last World Cup campaign four years earlier, losing their opening match to Saudi Arabia before rallying to win the tournament. This time, there would be no such drama. Messi, who had been managing a hamstring injury in the weeks leading up to the competition, looked sharp from the opening minutes. He thought he had scored after just five minutes with a composed finish into the bottom corner, but the linesman's flag went up for offside—a tight call that would have set a different tone for the evening.
The breakthrough came at the 17-minute mark. Messi connected with his Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo de Paul and struck a 20-yard effort that found the roof of the net. Algeria, surprisingly without Riyad Mahrez in the starting lineup despite his status as one of Africa's finest players, offered little in response. The North African side managed just one shot on target all night, a telling statistic that underscored Argentina's dominance.
Messi's second goal arrived in the 60th minute after a scramble in the box. Lautaro Martinez had shot directly at Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane—the son of France's World Cup-winning coach Zinedine—and Messi was quickest to react, turning in the rebound. Minutes later, Messi had a clear chance to extend the lead. A defense-splitting pass sent him through one-on-one against Zidane, who made the save. When Rayan Ait-Nouri brought him down in the penalty area, referee Szymon Marciniak waved away Messi's appeals.
The hat-trick was completed in the 76th minute when Nicolas Gonzalez's pass found Messi, who fired a low effort into the bottom corner. The Arrowhead Stadium crowd rose to its feet as he made his way off the field moments later, replaced by Nico Paz. Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni offered a simple assessment of what the world had just witnessed: "At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say? He's incredible."
With this performance, Messi moved level with Brazil's Ronaldo on 15 World Cup goals across his six tournament appearances. He now stands one goal away from breaking Klose's record outright, with two Group J matches remaining against Austria and Jordan in the coming week. Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice against Senegal, sits at 14 goals and remains within reach of the record, though Messi's early dominance suggests the Argentine will have the final word on this particular piece of history.
Citações Notáveis
When I'm in good shape, I give it my all. 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.— Lionel Messi
At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say? He's incredible. Everyone in football wants to see him and enjoys it.— Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
At 38, most athletes are thinking about retirement. What does a performance like this one tell us about where Messi is in his career?
It tells us he's not done yet—not by a long shot. He came into this tournament managing a hamstring issue, and there was real uncertainty about whether he'd be fully fit. This hat-trick answers that question decisively. He's still the player everyone wants to watch.
Algeria had only one shot on target all night. Was that about Argentina's defense, or about how little threat Algeria posed?
Both, really. Argentina was suffocating—they controlled the game completely. But Algeria also came in without Mahrez in the lineup, which was a surprise. They looked toothless. When you're facing a team this organized and this hungry, and you can't generate chances, you're going to get run over.
The offside call in the fifth minute—how close was that?
Close enough that it mattered. If that goal had stood, the whole rhythm of the match might have been different. Instead, Messi had to wait 12 more minutes. But he got there anyway.
What does breaking Klose's record actually mean for Messi's legacy?
It's another way of saying he's been the best player at the World Cup for longer than anyone else. Klose was a machine over four tournaments. Messi's doing it across six. That's longevity and consistency at the highest level.
Can he actually break the record in the next two games?
Almost certainly. Austria and Jordan aren't Algeria. If he stays healthy and Argentina keeps playing like this, one goal in two matches is very achievable. The question isn't whether he'll do it—it's how many he'll end up with.