Lionel Messi etched his name further into football history after becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the FIFA World Cup during Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in the group stage.
The Argentine captain achieved the feat at 38 years and 357 days of age, surpassing the previous mark held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who set the record during Portugal’s 2018 World Cup clash with Spain.
Messi’s standout display also saw him reach another major milestone, taking his World Cup goal tally to 16 and drawing level with Miroslav Klose as one of the tournament’s all-time leading scorers.
The achievement added to an already remarkable career, with reports noting that Messi became the first footballer to appear in six different World Cup editions.
Although it was the 11th hat-trick of his international career, the three-goal performance was his first on the World Cup stage, arriving two decades after he scored his first goal in the competition.
Argentina’s convincing win has strengthened expectations surrounding their title defense, with attention now turning to their upcoming group-stage fixture.
Messi and his teammates are scheduled to face Austria on June 22 in Dallas, where the legendary forward could move ahead of Klose and become the outright highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.
