Lionel Messi once again proved why he is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time as he delivered a sensational hat-trick in Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Algeria. The defending champions started their Group J campaign with a dominant 3-0 win in Kansas City, but the biggest talking point was Messi’s incredible performance.
The Argentina captain scored three goals to equal Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals and became the oldest player in history to score a hat-trick at the tournament. His performance came on a special night as he became the first player to appear in six different World Cups and also celebrated his 200th appearance for Argentina.
Football world praise Messi
The football world was quick to praise Messi after another magical display. Former France striker and football legend Thierry Henry praised Messi’s ability to keep performing at the highest level.
Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry said, “We said before the game that this guy (Messi) and the guy we are going to see tomorrow (Ronaldo) are both on the moon. He reminded us why he is who he is and Argentina also reminded us why they are the oldest and let's not forget about them. But Leo is just different.”
Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic also expected Messi to deliver and enjoyed watching the Argentina captain shine on the biggest stage. “I said it, watch and enjoy and that's what we did. Today was a day full of stars and they delivered,” Ibrahimovic said on
Former Venezuela international Alejandro Moreno highlighted the questions around Messi's fitness but admitted the Argentina star removed all doubts with his performance.
"And the truth is that we didn't really know what the status of Lionel Messi was gonna be coming into this match. Over the last month, month and a half, what we saw from Messi was 20 minutes, a week ago, against Iceland. Now, he was sharp in those 20 minutes, scored a goal, and he looked good. But we didn't know how physically fit he was and whether he was ready to provide the moments of magic for Argentina. That was the question. And it was a fair question to ask because physically he had been struggling with a hamstring injury. Yeah, he did not struggle," Moreno told ESPN.
"And I thought it was very clear from Lionel Messi, from the very beginning of the game, what his intent was in this match, and his level of interest was in this match, not because of something that he did offensively. It was defending one V one situation. And he was winning balls very close to his goal. I'm thinking, that wasn't part of the script. That's not something we associate with Messi, and yet there he is, willingly putting himself in a position where he had to defend, and successfully so," he said.
"And then you get to the attacking talent of Lionel Messi that hasn't gone away. Still there. And to see it in full display, the World Cup, at this level, and this late in his career, every time he touched the ball in and around 18 yard box as we're watching the game, we're sitting up thinking, there might be a goal happening here. There might be an assist happening here. And if we're sitting up and taking notice, the stadium is sitting up and taking notice. So are his teammates. And I think that's the freedom with which they play. They give him the ball. He problem-solves for them. They move ahead of the ball, knowing full well that he's going to find them. And today, when he couldn't find them, no worries, no issues, no problems. I take care of it myself. Hat-trick, yet another impressive performance in what has been a one-of-a-kind career," Moreno concluded.
Former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha also described watching Messi perform for Argentina at the World Cup as a privilege. “It’s a privilege. It’s absolutely a privilege to watch him in the Argentina kit doing it at the World Cup. The goalkeeper probably didn’t have his best moments for the first two goals. But the fact is, Messi was still a factor regardless of that,” he said on ESPN.
"One absolutely incredible player, and for him to get a hat trick, for him to be tied now all time in terms of World Cup goals, and even longevity to show that he scored his first goal in the World Cup 20 years ago. Hugely, hugely impressive and it's a fantastic start for them and it's kind of what this World Cup would have been hoping for, seeing the stars, like Messi, get days like this," Onuoha added.
Argentina start World Cup campaign in style
Messi’s night in Kansas City was full of drama. He thought he had opened the scoring in the first few minutes, but his early effort was ruled out for offside. Algeria also had a goal disallowed for the same reason, but Messi eventually broke the deadlock in the 17th minute.
Rodrigo De Paul played a brilliant pass through the Algeria defence, allowing Messi to move forward before unleashing a powerful shot from distance. The effort went past goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of French great Zinedine Zidane, to give Argentina the lead.
Messi completed his brace in the 60th minute after Luca Zidane failed to hold Alexis Mac Allister’s long-range strike. The ball fell perfectly for Messi, who calmly finished from close range.
The hat-trick moment arrived in the 76th minute. Substitute Nico Gonzalez provided the assist, and Messi found the net again with another brilliant finish to complete a historic performance.
Argentina will now face Austria in their next Group J match, while Algeria will take on Jordan as both teams continue their World Cup journey.
