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Lionel Messi revealed that his emotional reaction to scoring his first goal in Argentina's 3–0 victory over Algeria at the World Cup on Tuesday was due to "some difficult, complicated days."
After seeing an early effort disallowed for offside, Messi broke the deadlock with a stunning long-range strike in the 17th minute. His celebrations quickly gave way to tears, with no apparent explanation for his emotional outburst.
"It was something completely unrelated to football," Messi told reporters after the match when questioned about his tears.
"I had some difficult, complicated days. I'm thankful to the entire delegation and all my teammates, because they were always by my side, as they always are, giving me tremendous strength."
Messi: An Honor to Tie All-Time Scoring Record
Messi added two more goals before the final whistle, bringing his World Cup career tally to 16 and drawing him level with German legend Miroslav Klose at the summit of the tournament's all-time scoring charts, surpassing Brazilian icon Ronaldo in the process.
"It's obviously an honor to be up there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose," Messi reflected. "Ronaldo is there too, and [Kylian] Mbappé netted twice today.
"But ultimately these are just statistics and nothing more. It's a source of pride to be able to compete with all of them, but it doesn't define everything. For me, Ronaldo was one of the greatest based on what I witnessed, and he's not in first place, so it remains just a statistic."
Top Scorers in World Cup History
Player | Goals |
|---|---|
Miroslav Klose | 16 |
Lionel Messi | 16 |
Ronaldo | 15 |
Gerd Müller | 14 |
Kylian Mbappé | 14 |
When Can Messi Break World Cup Scoring Record?
Messi requires just one more goal to overtake Klose and establish himself as the outright leading scorer in World Cup history—though he will need to keep a close eye on France's Kylian Mbappé breathing down his neck.
The Inter Miami star's next opportunity to claim the record outright comes on June 22 against Austria. Should he fail to add to his tally in that fixture, Messi will be expected to do so in Argentina's final group stage match against Jordan on June 27.
That achievement would be one of several highlights for Messi this summer, which also includes having a street in New Jersey temporarily named in his honor.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
"I never imagined that, or everything I've been able to experience," Messi said upon learning about "Leo Messi Way" in Berkeley Heights.
"I was fortunate enough to fulfill all my dreams, and even beyond what I could have envisioned, both individually and collectively. Right now I'm savoring every moment, enjoying a wonderful group of players and feeling fit enough to express myself on the pitch, just as I always have."