Messi takes centre stage and breaks records in a magical night for football

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·17 de junio de 2026

Messi takes centre stage and breaks records in a magical night for football

We witnessed history being written before our eyes late on Tuesday night in Kansas City. Lionel Messi scored his first ever World Cup hat-trick and piled up record after record from the opening minute of Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria in the opening match of Group J.

Even before kick-off, Messi had already achieved two milestones: he became the first – and so far the only – player to appear in six World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2026). Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa have played in five World Cups and could match La Pulga if they feature this tournament.

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By simply taking to the pitch, Messi also became the second-oldest Argentine to play at a World Cup, behind only Labruna, who featured at the 1958 tournament at the age of 39.

When he found the net – and here we are following the records in chronological order – Messi became the third-oldest player ever to score at a World Cup, at 38 years and 11 months, behind Pep (39 years and 9 months) and Milla (42 years).

With his third goal, which ended his long-standing wait to score three times in a single World Cup match, Messi became the oldest player ever to net a hat-trick in the tournament, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo (33 in 2018) and Rensenbrink (30 in 1978).

Messi, the player with the most appearances at World Cups (27), also moved past Pelé, Klose and Seeler, and matched Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in five different World Cups. And that was not all!

Messi went one step further, moving ahead of Just Fontaine, Gerd Müller, Mbappé (who had scored earlier) and Ronaldo, and drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, with 16 goals. La Pulga is set for a fierce battle with the Frenchman for top spot in the coming weeks!

The World Cup has only just begun, but it is already producing plenty of stories. After all, with Messi on the pitch, every night feels like a historic one!