“Magnificent” – Messi scored a hat-trick and equalled Klose’s goal record
It was a day (night) for football’s biggest names. But even in the midst of all this star quality, it was still Lionel Messi who ran away with the limelight. – Hours after France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Braut Haaland had lit up the World Cup with two goals each, the stage was clear.
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But this was not a warm-up act – this was the main show. The Messi show.
His first World Cup hat-trick, a record 16 World Cup goals, and yet another reminder that he has no intention of giving up – despite his age.
As the sun set behind Kansas City’s skyline, the 38-year-old became the first player in history to participate in six World Cup finals – beating rival Cristiano Ronaldo by one day.
Exactly 20 years after he made his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old in Germany in 2006, one of the sport’s biggest superstars looked sharper than ever when he delivered another spectacular performance in his 200th cap for Argentina.
After the game, he said:
“To be able to enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there – it’s a really beautiful moment.
“The squad is a very close-knit, very strong group. I feel good; We were lucky to win a tough game. It is important to start with a win in the first match.
“I’m grateful to the fans, because they have shown once again that Argentina are completely crazy after this – we filled the stadium again.
“Messi celebrates like it was his first World Cup goal”
It was an early glimpse of what was to come.
After four minutes, Messi broke through and slotted the ball past Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane – but the offside flag prevented what could have been a fairytale start. The fans cheered as if they had won the World Cup. Journalists looked at each other with a look that said the inevitable. It was underway. This was just a delay.
There were a few moments of concern when Messi’s spike hit the top of Aïssa Mandi’s heel, but no reaction came, and the Argentine took full advantage of the situation.
After 18 minutes, Messi’s moment came. 25 meters from goal, he pulled the ball over to his left foot and curled a beautiful shot towards the top right corner.
Goalkeeper Zidane – son of French legend Zinedine – got both hands on the ball, but the shot had too much power. The Kansas City Stadium exploded in cheers as Argentina fans celebrated Messi’s 14th World Cup goal. It was the start of a historic evening.
As former Everton midfielder Leon Osman observed:
“Messi celebrates as if it were his first World Cup goal. With the skills he has, he never seems to age. It’s a brilliant pass to him, and as expected, he finishes it superbly.
Two decades later – still as sharp
Two decades after his first appearance on this stage, and now in his record-breaking 27th World Cup match, Messi continues to defy age.
Throughout the match, he was constantly looking for alternatives, constantly anticipating Argentina’s next move. He looked fit, fast and dangerous.
After 60 minutes, Messi struck again. A costly mistake from Zidane sent the ball rolling straight into Messi’s path. With typical composure, Messi put the ball in the net and was only one goal away from becoming the all-time top scorer at the World Cup.
Age has clearly not weakened Messi’s abilities. Since the age of 35, he has scored 10 World Cup goals – more than Harry Kane, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry have each scored in total.
