Lionel Messi recorded the first FIFA World Cup hat-trick of his career after bagging all three goals as Argentina thrashed Algeria 3-0 in Kansas City on Wednesday
With the hat-trick, Messi, at 38 years and 357 days old, became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. Ronaldo was 33 years and 122 days old when he scored a hat-trick against Spain in a 2018 group-stage match.
Messi’s hat-trick came 20 years to the day he made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro, in which he also scored. It helped Argentina get off to a better start than the last World Cup in Qatar, when they were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in their opening match.
Against Algeria, Messi opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the 17th minute before getting on the score sheet again on 60 minutes by poking in a rebound to make it 2-0. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star completed the hat-trick in the 76th minute with a left-footed drive from the edge of the box.
His third strike against Algeria drew him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16) for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history. It was Messi’s 11th hat-trick in international football.
Argentina will continue their pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles in Arlington, Texas, when they play Austria on Monday and Jordan on June 27. Algeria face Jordan on Monday in Santa Clara, California, before taking on Austria in their Group J finale on June 27 back in Kansas City.