Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria on June 16 and in doing so wrote himself into the record books in a way that felt almost scripted. Three goals in a 3-0 win, his first-ever hat-trick at a World Cup, and the milestone that football has been holding its breath for: 16 World Cup goals in total, drawing level with Miroslav Klose's all-time record. On his 200th appearance for Argentina. In a World Cup he has already won.
The records that fell
Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals has stood since 2014, when the German scored in Brazil and left the bar at what seemed an unreachable height. Messi has now matched it, and he did so with a performance that showed he is not coasting through this tournament. The three goals came in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes — the first a clinical finish, the second from the penalty spot, the third a trademark curling effort that left Algeria's goalkeeper with no chance.
The broader record is even more striking. Twenty-four goal contributions (goals plus assists) at World Cups, passing Pele's tally of 21. Argentina's greatest-ever player has overtaken the man many considered the original greatest-ever player. The numbers say what the watching eyes already knew.
His 200th appearance for Argentina
The symmetry of it is almost too neat. Messi's 200th Argentina cap came on the same day he equalled the World Cup scoring record. He has been playing international football since 2005, through tournaments that ended in heartbreak, through the 2021 Copa America that finally broke the cycle, and through the Qatar 2022 World Cup that completed the story. This one, in the United States, was supposed to be the relaxed victory lap. Instead, Messi is playing like a man in his prime.
Klose's record is there to be broken
Argentina have three more group-stage games at minimum, and assuming they progress as expected, Messi will have ample opportunity to take sole possession of a record that has never belonged to a South American player. At 38, he is defying the expectations that come with that number. The physical profile has changed — he covers less ground, picks his moments more carefully — but when the moment comes, he still produces.
Whether he breaks the record here or not, the hat-trick against Algeria will stand as one of the landmarks of this World Cup. In a tournament that has produced several candidates for the most memorable moment, Messi finding the net three times on his 200th cap takes some beating.
0 Comments