World Cup: All records Lionel Messi smashed after historic hattrick
Exactly 20 years to the day, a little-known Lionel Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro. While he scored in that match, few could have predicted that the Argentine would become a global soccer superstar and completely rewrite the history books with a performance highlighting a unique longevity that few players, if any, have ever matched in the history of the sport.
In a performance that defied boundaries and limits at the Kansas City Stadium on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Messi scored an emphatic hat-trick as Argentina opened their World Cup title defense with a commanding 3-1 win over Algeria.
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The MLS striker’s attacking masterclass was the highlight of the match on the evening and, in all indications, possibly the days and years to come as he seeks to become the outright all-time goal scorer of the competition.
The gift that keeps on giving
While hat-tricks have practically become his second name at the club level throughout his legendary stints with Barcelona, PSG, and now Inter Miami, this treble marked his first-ever on the World Cup stage.
It was the 61st hat-trick of his career and his 11th while playing for the national team, perfectly capping his milestone 200th appearance for Argentina.
For his efforts, Messi was voted the Man of the Match for the 12th time in his career, extending his record for the most Man of the Match awards in World Cup history.
Appearing in his historic sixth World Cup, Messi took the grand stage by storm. He became the first player ever to appear in six different editions of the tournament, a feat that can only be equalled by Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa, who are the only other veterans to make their respective squads for this North American edition.
Messi, who held the Argentina’s youngest World Cup scorer tag, is now the oldest World Cup hat-trick scorer, snatching the crown from Ronaldo
Rewriting the all-time charts
Turning 39 next week, the 38-year-old maestro received the perfect early birthday gift. His treble saw him equal Miroslav Klose’s record as the joint-top scorer in competition history with 16 goals, officially surpassing Thomas Müller (14) and Ronaldo Nazário (15) on the all-time charts.
With these goals, he also became the oldest player to score multiple goals in a FIFA World Cup match, breaking Roger Milla’s 1990 record, while simultaneously setting the record as the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the tournament.
A day prior, France’s Kylian Mbappé scored a double in a 3-1 win over Senegal. Mbappé’s performance temporarily moved him to 14 World Cup goals (joint-third all-time) and made him the first player to score two or more goals in five different World Cup matches.
Expressing his feelings after the feat, Messi described it as a truly special moment to compete with and surpass the records of his idols.
“It is a great honour to be able to compete with all these greats, including Ronaldo Nazario, among the players I have watched. He was one of the GREATEST OF ALL TIME, and yet he is not in first place.”
