There are few things more basic than turning towards a screen and expecting Lionel Messi to score. It is why spectators fill MLS stadiums on the regular, like clockwork, a drilled-in habit rather than an intentional, carefully chosen option. It is probably why thousands spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to pack Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on a Tuesday as Argentina faced Algeria in their World Cup opener. There’s almost a banal predictability to it, to the point that it almost doesn’t feel like news because of its routine nature; all the more easy to write him off because he’s a week away from his 39th birthday.And yet, Messi still manages to captivate.Another chapter to Messi’s already historic legacy was written on Tuesday in the American Midwest and an appropriate one at that. The World Cup winner equalled Germany international Miroslav Klose’s record for most career tournament goals with 16, reaching the feat on the back of three expertly taken goals that offered the latest reminder of his unnaturally natural talent. The historic goal was perhaps the least exciting of the three he scored on Tuesday, but it did not dim the quality he boasts more often than not when he takes to the pitch. Nico Gonzalez’s pass landed at Messi’s feet, the star with barely any bodies around him to try to nick the ball away. It was the perfect opportunity for him to take a shot from the edge of the penalty area and after two impressive goals behind him, he was not going to miss from there.
Leave it to Messi to mark multiple accomplishments in one go. He managed the feat while winning his 200th cap for Argentina and did so on the day of his very first World Cup hattrick, all while becoming his team’s oldest-ever goalscorer at the tournament exactly 20 years after becoming their youngest-ever scorer. It was also the first hattrick of this summer’s World Cup, six other players scoring braces to open the tournament before he notched a third.
It is a noteworthy feat for someone whose quality has undoubtedly dimmed from his peak years, and for the leader of a team many do not believe will successfully defend their World Cup title from 2022. It has been easy to suggest that Messi and Argentina will not be at the peak of their powers this time around; one win, no matter how notable, is not enough to necessarily change minds. He has been on the verge of being outshadowed by younger players making their best case to take over the spotlight he will…
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2026-06-17 04:40:50
