Lionel Messi etched another milestone into his storied career on Tuesday, becoming only the second player in history to score in five different FIFA World Cups as defending champions Argentina asserted dominance over Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium.
Making his record sixth appearance at football's premier event, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner broke the deadlock with a trademark finish, handing Argentina an early 1-0 lead and igniting the sea of blue and white inside the Kansas City venue into celebration.
Messi had earlier thought he had opened the scoring, but his effort was ruled out for offside. However, the Argentine captain would not be denied, finding space in the Algerian defense before coolly beating goalkeeper Luca Zidane for his 14th World Cup goal. The strike came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany in 2006.
Lionel Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo in an exclusive club
With the goal, Messi joined Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to have scored in five different editions of the World Cup. Ronaldo became the first player to achieve the feat at Qatar 2022 and is also set to make his sixth tournament appearance.
Messi's latest landmark came in his 200th international appearance for Argentina, two decades after making his senior debut as an 18-year-old in 2005. Only Ronaldo, who is set to earn his 229th cap against DR Congo, and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa have made more international appearances among men's players.
Climbing the all-time World Cup scoring charts
Messi doubled his tally for the night with a simple tap-in in the 60th minute, continuing his relentless climb up the list of football's greatest World Cup goalscorers. Sixteen minutes later, the Argentine maestro rolled back the years with a trademark finish to complete his hat-trick and take his tally to 16 goals at the tournament.
The treble lifted the Argentina captain level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts. Messi's extraordinary tally continues to grow with every appearance on football's grandest stage.
By reaching 16 goals, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner moved clear of Brazil icon Ronaldo Nazario, who now sits alone in third place with 15. Just behind Ronaldo are France superstar Kylian Mbappe and West Germany great Gerd Muller, both on 14 goals.
Mbappe had earlier struck twice in France's 3-1 victory over Senegal, briefly drawing level with Muller before Messi's latest masterclass saw him surge clear and etch his name alongside Klose at the summit of World Cup goalscoring history.
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