Lionel Messi was brought to tears after scoring the opening goal in Argentina's 3-0 win against Algeria – a moment he later revealed was triggered by something 'completely unrelated to football'.
The Argentina captain, playing on his 200th appearance for his country, curled home a wonderful opener after 18 minutes and was swarmed by team-mates before being spotted wiping tears on his shirt. 'I went through some difficult days, but I'm grateful to the entire delegation and my team-mates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it,' said the 38-year-old.
“Messi equals World Cup goals record with hat-trick, then reveals tears were due to personal issues.”
Messi went on to complete a magnificent hat-trick – his first at a World Cup – taking his finals goal tally to 16, equalling Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in the competition's history. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also became the first player to feature at six World Cups, 20 years to the day since his debut, when he scored in a 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro.
The victory meant Argentina won their opening match as defending champions for the first time, after defeats in 1982 and 1990. Messi was substituted after 80 minutes to a standing ovation in Kansas City, with his name echoing around the stadium.
'There are no words to describe him,' said Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. 'If anyone thought this team was better without Leo, today it was proven that the opposite is true. He is our most important player. We need to build a team around him, and we are doing it.'
Messi's record-breaking performance followed doubts about his fitness after he was substituted early due to muscle fatigue last month in his last MLS match with Inter Miami. But the French legend Thierry Henry was left speechless: 'I don't know what to say anymore, what is left to say?'
Messi, who could have retired after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, said: 'It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I'm living through now is the cherry on top.'
Argentina's second match in Group J is against Austria on Monday, 22 June.