Lionel Messi tied Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record with a hat-trick against Algeria on Tuesday night, pushing Argentina to the brink of the knockout round with a 3-0 victory at a packed Kansas City Stadium.
The Argentina captain’s three clinically taken goals took him to 16 in World Cup finals, equalling the mark set by the German striker. It was a performance that left even the opposition awestruck. Long after the final whistle, Algeria and Bayern Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza emerged from behind a curtain and stepped wearily to the microphone. He had played well, even assisting on Algeria’s disallowed first goal, but had a front-row seat to a masterclass just yards away.
“Messi scores hat-trick to equal Klose's World Cup scoring record in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria.”
“Messi things,” Maza said, a smile creeping across his face. “I don’t think I need to explain to you [what that means]. I think you just have to watch the game and then you’ll know what I mean by Messi things. He can decide the game on his own, as we saw today.”
Tuesday’s feat came 20 years to the day after Messi scored his first World Cup goal, a mop-headed teenager with alien-like speed announcing himself against Serbia and Montenegro in Argentina’s 2006 group-stage opener. He became Argentina’s youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer that day; on Tuesday he became their oldest, eclipsing the record of Argentina great Martín Palermo by more than two years.
Messi moves slower now, and the Guardian’s Pablo Iglesias Maurer noted that he “undoubtedly enjoys the space he’s frequently given by defenders who fear humiliation at his hands”. Twenty years on, his pace may have dipped but his mind remains as sharp as ever, as is his ability to find space where there is none to be found. He remains awe-inspiring.
After the match, Messi emerged smiling and clutching a Michelob Ultra “Superior Player of the Match” trophy, probably the least important silverware he has ever touched. Messi is famously competitive but he and his teammates insist the scoring record doesn’t matter to him.
Despite the milestone, the focus remains on Argentina’s push for the knockout rounds. For one night at least, the football world was left talking about Messi – and “Messi things” – once again.