Four insane Lionel Messi World Cup stats after his incredible Algeria hat-trick | OneFootball

Lionel Messi was back to his old ways after he showed the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland he is still one of the best around.

Even as he approaches his 39th birthday, anyone thinking Messi was going to play a bit-part role in this World Cup has already been proven wrong with a hat-trick for Argentina in their opening game against Algeria.

Here’s some incredible Lionel Messi stats at the World Cup.

Joint most goals at World Cup

Messi’s hat-trick has put him level with Miroslav Klose for the most goals at a World Cup.

The German has 16 in his 24 matches while Messi has reached the same tally in three games more.

Messi also now has the most goal contributions at a World Cup (16 goals and eight assists), surpassing Pele’s 21.

Messi has only scored multiple goals at three of his six World Cups

Considering he is now on 16, you would think Messi has been gradually adding to his World Cup tally for each tournament but the opposite is actually true.

In three of his six tournaments, Messi has scored at most one goal. In 2010, he never troubled the goalscoring records.

His goals then have come in flurries and when he does get going, he really gets going.

In 2014, he was third top scorer on four. In 2022, he scored seven goals, just one behind Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe.

With the first round of the 2026 World Cup almost complete, he tops the goalscoring charts after his hat-trick. History would suggest then that Messi is about to get a lot more goals this tournament.

Messi’s late career surge

It is not just that Messi is scoring these goals, it is that even as he reaches the supposed end of his career, he is still doing it.

Since Messi turned 35, he has scored more World Cup goals than Thierry Henry, Rivaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona did in their whole careers.

The match was also Messi’s 200th appearance for his national team, making him the first South American to reach that milestone, and he became the oldest player ever to score multiple goals at a World Cup match.

Comparing Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time World Cup stats: Goals, assists, penalties…

Messi takes Ronaldo’s record

There was probably one man watching on with fury during the Argentinian game and Cristiano Ronaldo will not have been pleased to see another of his records go to Messi.

Before yesterday, a 33-year-and-130-day old Ronaldo was the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup. Not anymore.

Messi at 38 years and 357 days takes that record.

Messi has also tied Ronaldo with the most World Cups scored in at five, Ronaldo could though take that back should he score against DR Congo on Wednesday.