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Tuesday was always destined to be a momentous occasion. After all, it signaled the beginning of Argentina's intense title defense.
Yet, the 2026 World Cup opening match against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium took on even greater importance the moment Messi stepped onto the field, leaving an indelible mark by the time he departed 80 minutes later. He was subbed out following a breathtaking hat trick, sending the entire crowd into a frenzy of cheers and adulation.
The Argentine icon started the match at right forward and, from the opening whistle, became the first player in history to appear in six men's World Cups. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to join him at that milestone on Wednesday in Portugal's opener against D.R. Congo, both legends having graced soccer's biggest stage since the 2006 tournament in Germany. Still, Messi holds the distinction of being the first to achieve it.
The match also represented Messi's 200th cap for La Albiceleste, further extending his all-time appearances record. Former Argentine teammate and Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano sits a distant second with 147 caps, having retired from international football in 2018. Messi joins an exclusive group alongside only Ronaldo (228) and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa (202) to have reached 200 appearances for their respective countries. The outing also pushed Messi's World Cup appearances record to 27 matches.
As though Messi's mere presence on the pitch wasn't remarkable enough, the eight-time Ballon d'Or recipient punctuated the occasion with his first goal in the 17th minute, giving Argentina a 1–0 lead. Facing his midfield teammates, Messi collected the ball on the half-turn from the center of the field before driving toward goal. Algeria's center backs, Aïssa Mandi and Ramy Bensebaini, were visibly reluctant to close down the superstar, affording Messi the ideal chance to unleash a left-footed effort from outside the box into the upper right corner of the net, beyond the outstretched fingers of goalkeeper Luca Zidane. With that strike, Messi became only the second man ever to score in five separate World Cups, joining Ronaldo. It also marked Messi's fifth World Cup goal from outside the box, equaling the most by any player since 1966 (Rivellino), per Opta.
The records continued to pile up. That opening goal meant Messi had now scored in five consecutive World Cup matches, just one short of the record of six straight, a feat achieved only twice and not in this century — by Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jaizinho in 1970.
And then Messi struck again, because once was simply not enough. He pounced on a deflected ball from the goalkeeper in the 60th minute, punishing Algeria with a ferocious finish. Messi then added a third shortly after, as if his first two goals needed company.
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With the hat trick — Messi's first ever on the World Cup stage — his total World Cup goal tally climbed to 16, drawing level with the tournament record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose. Kylian Mbappé also netted twice in France's opener on Tuesday, bringing his tally to 14. The two football icons will undoubtedly wage a fierce battle for the record throughout the summer, but for now, the honor is shared between Messi and Klose.
With his 39th birthday just days away, Messi is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, remaining the heartbeat of the South American powerhouse.