World Cup 2026: Messi Breaks Ronaldo’s Record, Matches Klose As Argentina Beat Algeria

Lionel Messi produced another historic performance as Argentina began their 2026 FIFA World Cup title defence with a 3-0 victory over Algeria, breaking records and moving closer to another landmark achievement.

The Argentina captain celebrated his 200th international appearance with a stunning hat-trick in the opening Group J fixture at the Kansas City Stadium.

Messi had an early goal ruled out for offside, while Algeria also saw an effort disallowed at the other end before the reigning champions took control of the contest.

The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Messi collected the ball in the attacking area, turned past his marker and fired a powerful long-range strike into the top corner.

Although Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane got a hand to the effort, he could not prevent the shot from finding the net as Messi recorded his 118th international goal for Argentina.

The 38-year-old added two more goals later in the match to complete his hat-trick and further cement his status as one of football’s greatest players.

With his latest goals, Messi moved ahead of Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario’s World Cup scoring record of 15 goals and equalled German striker Miroslav Klose’s total of 16 goals in the tournament.

The achievement also saw Messi become only the second player after Ronaldo Nazario to score in five different editions of the FIFA World Cup.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to rewrite football history, adding another chapter to his remarkable international career.

Argentina’s victory gives the defending champions a strong start to their campaign as they aim to retain the trophy they won in 2022.