Lionel Messi Gets 10/10 | Argentina Players Rated In Incredible 3-0 Win Against Algeria | OneFootball

Talk about marking a milestone in style. On the night of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at KANSAS CITY, Lionel Messi picked up his 200th international cap. The little magician decided to treat the rain-soaked crowd in Missouri to a bit of footballing history.

Argentina kick-started their World Cup defence with a routine 3-0 dispatching of Algeria. It was comfortable. It was clinical. But above all, it belonged to one man. By bagging his first-ever World Cup hat-trick, Messi didn’t just secure the match ball; he drew level with Miroslav Klose on 16 tournament goals. Not a bad evening’s work.

Lionel Scaloni’s men coped with a slippery pitch, dominated the tempo, and laid down a massive marker for the rest of Group J. Here is how the world champions rated on a historic night in Kansas City.

Emiliano Martínez: 6/10

A clean sheet, but barely dirtied his gloves. Algeria offered next to nothing in the final third, leaving the Aston Villa stopper to cut a lonely figure in the rain. He stayed awake, caught a few standard crosses, and distributed the ball well enough. Quiet night.

Gonzalo Montiel: 6/10

Held his position well out wide during the first half. His overlapping runs gave the Algerian left-back something to think about, stretching the play early on. Shifted at the break as Scaloni tinkered with his system.

Cristian Romero: 7/10

Fierce as ever. The Tottenham man brought his usual brand of aggressive, front-foot defending to the table, completely shackling Amine Gouiri. Subbed off late in the day just to keep him fresh for the bigger tests ahead.

Lisandro Martínez: 7/10

Rock solid. His ability to hit crisp, ground-breaking passes from deep areas set off several counter-attacks. Read the flight of the ball brilliantly, completely snuffing out any aerial threat the Fennec Foxes tried to pose.

Facundo Medina: 6.5/10

Incredibly disciplined performance at left-back. He clearly had instructions to mind the shop rather than bomb forward, which worked a treat in neutralising the tricky Anis Hadj Moussa. Kept it simple, did the dirty work.

Rodrigo De Paul: 6.5/10

Energy personified, as per usual. He ran himself into the ground, covering every blade of grass to mop up loose balls. Had one absolute shocker of a pass that ruined a promising counter, but won the ball back so quickly you could almost forgive him.

Alexis Mac Allister: 8/10

An absolute masterclass in central midfield. Dictated the pace of the game like a conductor. It was his venomous, long-range drive that Luca Zidane couldn’t hold, directly leading to the second goal of the night. Superb.

Enzo Fernández: 7/10

Anchored the engine room with loads of tactical maturity. Sprayed some gorgeous, sweeping long balls out to the flanks and acted as a proper shield in front of Romero and Martínez whenever Algeria tried to break.

Lionel Messi: 10/10

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JUNE 16: Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)

Genius. Absolute genius. Double-century of caps and he celebrates by smashing a breathtaking opener, poking home a rebound, and finishing off a slick team move for the treble. Unstoppable. Klose’s record has been matched, and you wouldn’t bet against him breaking it next time out.

Lautaro Martínez: 6/10

Frustrating sort of night for the Inter Milan striker. Looked a bit isolated up top. Saw a decent early header saved well by Zidane, but struggled to get involved after that. Hooked early as the boss looked for a change in dynamics.

Thiago Almada: 6/10

Showed a couple of lovely, intricate touches on the wing, but the final product just wasn’t there. Failed to deliver that killer pass before being hooked in the second-half reshuffle.

Nahuel Molina: 7/10

Came on for Montiel at halftime and gave the right flank an immediate injection of pace. Drove forward with real intent, creating the exact kind of overloads that left the tiring Algerian defenders chasing shadows.

Nicolás González: 7.5/10

A proper livewire from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. Put the third goal on a plate for Messi with a beautifully weighted, low cross across the box. His raw pace absolutely terrified the opposition.

Julián Álvarez: 6.5/10

Brought tons of energy for the final 35 minutes. Chased down lost causes and pressed the Algerian backline high up the pitch, even if no clear-cut chances fell his way in the box. Workhorse.

Nicolás Otamendi: 6/10

Introduced for the final ten minutes just to shut the shop down. Used all his veteran experience to keep things calm and ensure there was no late drama.

Nico Paz: 6/10

A tidy little cameo for the youngster, who had the honour of replacing the hat-trick hero. Showed good composure on the ball, popping it around and keeping possession ticking over while the referee checked his watch.