Lionel Messi broke down in tears after his first goal against Algeria on Tuesday night – but the 38-year-old revealed the emotion had nothing to do with football. Argentina’s captain scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 group-stage win at Kansas City Stadium, equalling Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record of 16 goals.
“I cried after the first goal, yes… but it was something completely unrelated to football,” Messi said. “I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength.”
“Messi scores hat-trick vs Algeria, ties Klose's record, reveals tears due to personal struggles.”
The first of his three strikes was a stunning solo effort: picking up the ball 30 yards out, he burst forward and curled into the top right corner. His second came after Alexis Mac Allister’s stinging shot was parried by Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, and Messi tapped in. He completed the treble in trademark fashion, shifting the ball onto his left foot on the edge of the box and drilling into the bottom corner.
The performance drew awe from opponents. Algeria and Bayern Munich midfielder Ibrahim Maza, who had a front-row seat just yards away, smiled when asked what made Messi unplayable. “Messi things,” he said. “I don’t think I need to explain to you … He can decide the game on his own, as we saw today.”
Tuesday’s hat-trick came exactly 20 years after Messi scored his first World Cup goal against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, when he became Argentina’s youngest-ever scorer at the tournament. On Tuesday he became their oldest, eclipsing the record of former Argentina great Martin Palermo by more than two years.
Argentina’s win pushes them to the brink of the knockout rounds. On the same day, other global stars also impressed: Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland each scored a brace as France beat Senegal 3-1 and their respective teams won their openers. But it was the veteran Messi who stole the headlines, clutching a Michelob Ultra “Superior Player of the Match” trophy – probably the least important silverware he has ever touched.