Lionel Messi made history as he opened the scoring for Argentina in their Group J match against Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Kansas City Stadium.
It was the Argentine legend’s 14th goal in the FIFA World Cup in his fifth tournament, drawing level with Kylian Mbappe, who had just overtaken him earlier in the day.
Messi also became the oldest goalscorer for Argentina in the FIFA World Cup after being the youngest too. It was Messi’s fifth goal from outside of the penalty box, equalling the most of any player since Rivellino in 1966.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner found a gap in the Algerian defence and easily beat goalkeeper Luca Zidane for his goal, sending a blue-and-white-clad crowd packed inside Arrowhead Stadium into delirium.
Watch:
— 37 (@Media01CUP) June 17, 2026
Moments earlier, Messi had a goal disallowed for offside.
Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal as the only players with goals in five World Cups. Ronaldo became the first to achieve this in 2022 and is set to play in his sixth World Cup.
The goal came 20 years to the day after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina in a match against Serbia and Montenegro.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that had slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup.
History For Messi
Lionel Messi became the first man to play in six World Cup tournaments when he started for Argentina.
The 38-year-old, who captained the South American nation to the title four years ago in Qatar, is also winning his 200th international cap.
Messi made his World Cup debut as a teenager at the 2006 tournament in Germany and announced that the 2022 edition would be his last.
He worked his unique magic in the Gulf state, propelling his team to glory with seven goals, including two in a captivating final against France.
But the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner changed his mind about retiring and was the top scorer in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Inter Miami player has been in fine form in MLS, scoring 13 goals in 16 games in 2026.
“I love playing football, and I’m going to do it until I can’t anymore,” the former Barcelona forward said recently.
Argentina’s all-time top scorer is just the third man to reach 200 caps, after Ronaldo and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa.
(With inputs from Agencies)
