Lionel Messi hatrick in Fifa World Cup 2026 and his emotional performance took center stage after the Argentina captain broke into tears with his first goal of the tournament in the 3-0 victory against Algeria at the FIFA World Cup opener at Kansas City Stadium.
It was in the 18th minute, when Messi curled a good finish to put Argentina ahead. The subsequent arms around him in celebration was captured, followed by the 38-year-old wiping at the corners of his eyes, which quickly saw a massive viral response and caused a lot of discussion on social media.
After the match, Messi explained that it wasn’t connected to the goal or football “It is not a football or goal related emotion,” he stated. He said instead it is because of “some difficult days.” He stressed the importance of showing thanks to his teammates and team staff for the support throughout those times.
Messi had a momentous occasion, but he found the net three times in Argentina’s dominating 3-0 win. The victory further bolstered Argentina’s World Cup 2026 campaign and continued their successful form as World Cup winners.
The match had a lot of importance for the statistics. With the three goals, Messi set the record for his World Cup goals to 16, which is the same number as Germany’s Miroslav Klose has recorded in the history of men’s World Cup. He’d also set a new World Cup record for cumulative goal contributions with his 24 appearances.
It was also an historic occasion, as Messi kept playing the FIFA World Cup – his sixth! His repertoire not only highlights his impact on the tournament’s statistics but also his ability to play at a professional level for a prolonged period.
