Lionel Messi rewrites the history books at the sixth World Cup | World Cup 2026

Messi turned 20 exactly three years to the day he scored his first World Cup goal for Argentina.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has become the most decorated player of all time at the FIFA World Cup, scoring his first hat-trick. against Algeria in the match his team won 3-0, in the sixth game of the World Cup.

The 38-year-old made history from the moment he stepped onto the Kansas City Stadium field for his 200th game on Tuesday night.

Messi became the first man to play in six World Cups when he was selected for Argentina’s first team, a record that Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo will share on Wednesday, as well as Guillermo Ochoa, if the former Mexico goalkeeper is sent on the field for the match.

Messi’s first goal of the night came in the 17th minute and equalized with Kylian Mbappe’s 14 World Cup goalsand the Frenchman who defeated Argentina a few hours earlier when France beat Senegal 3-1 in New York.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s sixth World Cup start was a little late, however, when his first goal in the fourth minute was disallowed by the referee.

However, Messi produced a magical strike to the right of the goal after Algerian striker Luca Zidane’s pass, making it Messi’s 15th World Cup goal.

Messi’s decades-long legacy at the tournament began when, aged 18, he made his World Cup debut in 2006, the same year Zidane’s father, French legend Zinedine Zidane, enjoyed his best tournament.

Whether it was a poetic gesture from the universe or a coincidence, Tuesday marked exactly 20 years to the day since Messi claimed his first World Cup trophy for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro.

Messi came close to equaling Brazil’s Ronaldo’s record, completing his hat-trick and equaling Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record of 16. It was also his 120th international goal.

The Argentina captain was eventually replaced by Nico Paz and walked off the pitch as a crowd of around 70,000 gave him a standing ovation after receiving treatment from a former football night.

Messi, who turns 39 next week, was Argentina’s youngest player to score at the World Cup and is now the oldest World Cup hat-trick player, a title he took from Ronaldo, who scored three times against Spain in 2018.

The South American legend also became the first player to play in five consecutive World Cups, with the latest being his first in the 2026 edition.

With the defenders starting their campaign in style, Messi will get the chance to break more records when Argentina take on Austria on Monday in Dallas, before facing Jordan in their final group game on June 27.

If Messi can lead the Albiceleste to a successful title defense, he will be the first Argentine captain to achieve that feat, something not even the great Diego Maradona can claim.