Lionel Messi described it as a “beautiful moment” after becoming the World Cup‘s joint all-time leading goalscorer in his record-breaking sixth finals appearance on Tuesday. The 38-year-old Argentina captain delivered a hat-trick — his first ever at a World Cup — to power Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.
100% 1st Deposit Bonus up to €750 + 100 FS — World Championship 2026 on TipsGG × Casino Prestige
Follow every match of the World Championship 2026, analyze live, and place bets on the best terms. Get a 100% bonus up to €750 + 100 FS on Casino Prestige and don’t miss the chance to boost your bankroll for the biggest tournament of the year.
The hat-trick vaulted Messi level with Germany‘s Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts with 16 goals.
“To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment. I’m happy.” — Lionel Messi
The Inter Miami star’s clinical finishing gives Argentina genuine momentum in their bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
“The squad, it’s a very united, very strong group. I feel good; we were lucky enough to win a tough match. It’s important to start with a win in the first game. I’m grateful to the fans, because once again they’ve shown that Argentina is crazy about this — we packed the stadium again.” — Lionel Messi
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he no longer has the words to describe Messi‘s output.
“For 20 years, he’s had us used to seeing things like this, and he inspires everyone who watches him play.” — Lionel Scaloni
Scaloni is now focused on Argentina‘s second Group J fixture against Austria on Monday, with the side targeting an early place in the knockout rounds.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time. The team is happy; we gave playing time to a lot of players. Hopefully we can win the next one so everyone can be in the third group stage match.” — Lionel Scaloni
Stay with TipsGG for full coverage of every 2026 World Cup match, including Argentina vs Austria.