Messi makes World Cup bow and breaks Cristiano Ronaldo record | OneFootball

Drawn in Group J, Argentina’s debut at the 2026 World Cup took place in the early hours of this Wednesday against Algeria. This is a match that will go down in history, as Lionel Messi broke three records. The first came at kick-off, when Messi became the first player to take part in six editions of the World Cup.

In a 3-0 win, it was Messi who scored all three goals on the opening matchday of the competition’s group stage. In doing so, he broke the record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo and became the oldest footballer to score a hat-trick in World Cup history.

The record had stood since the 2018 World Cup, when Portugal’s captain scored three goals against Spain (3-3) at the age of 33 years and 130 days. Now, eight years later, at 38 years and 359 days old, it was Messi’s turn to achieve the hat-trick feat.

With these three goals, Messi reached the mark of 16 World Cup goals, drawing level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time scoring charts. But it does not end there. By scoring, Messi also overtook Cristiano Ronaldo in the ranking of the oldest scorers in World Cup history and climbed onto the podium.

This Wednesday, June 17, at 18:00, Cristiano Ronaldo - whose physical condition has been widely discussed - takes to the field wearing the crest of the Portuguese national team on his chest. With eight goals across all the World Cups he has played in and in Portugal’s opening match of this World Cup, the Portuguese star could also find the net and, who knows, move closer to Messi.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.