Messi Nets Hat-Trick in Argentina's World Cup Opener, Matches Klose's Record

Lionel Messi delivered a performance that drew comparisons to artificial intelligence from football analysts, scoring on three occasions as Argentina opened their World Cup title defence with a convincing 3-0 victory over Algeria. The Inter Miami captain found the net in the 17th, 60th, and 76th minutes of the Group J fixture, a display that former Super Eagles manager Sunday Oliseh described as superhuman.

The three-goal haul took Messi's World Cup goal tally to 16, equalling the longstanding record set by Germany's Miroslav Klose. Sources differ on whether this was Messi's 14th or this specific World Cup's hat-trick milestone, but all confirm he now sits level with Klose at the top of the all-time scorers list.

France's Kylian Mbappé trails by two goals, while Brazil's Ronaldo Nazário, the previous record-holder, finished his World Cup career with 15 goals. Messi's emotional response to his opening goal attracted particular attention.

The Argentina captain became visibly moved after his first strike, explaining afterward that the tears reflected matters beyond football rather than the on-pitch achievement itself. At 38 years old, he also became the oldest player to register a World Cup hat-trick, a distinction that underscores his continued ability at the sport's highest level.

Brazilian football legend Ronaldo de Lima publicly declared Messi the greatest player of all time following the performance, stating that global football discourse should cease debating the question. Messi, meanwhile, acknowledged Ronaldo Nazário as among the greatest players ever, expressing surprise that the Brazilian does not occupy the top position on the World Cup goal-scoring rankings given his historical significance to the sport.