Lionel Messi drew level with Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time top scorer after a hat-trick against Algeria , while also overtaking Brazil legend Ronaldo in the process.
The Argentina captain delivered another memorable performance on the world's biggest stage, taking his World Cup tally to 16 goals and adding another chapter to his remarkable international career.
Messi's latest heroics not only helped Argentina start their campaign in style but also brought him within touching distance of owning one of the most prestigious records in World Cup history outright.
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
Messi went into Argentina's tournament opener against Algeria aware he was closing in on several major milestones. By the end of the night, he had achieved most of them.
The Argentina captain scored all three goals in a 3-0 win, moving past Ronaldo Nazario's tally of 15 and drawing level with Klose at the top of the all-time scoring charts.
The first came from a trademark curling effort outside the box after being picked out by Rodrigo De Paul .
His second strike put him level with Ronaldo, before his third completed the hat-trick and saw him join Klose on 16 goals.
It was another reminder of Messi's enduring quality as Argentina opened their World Cup campaign with a convincing win.
The race to become the outright leading scorer in World Cup history is now one of the tournament's major storylines.
Messi currently shares the record with Klose on 16 goals.
France forward Kylian Mbappe is also in contention after moving onto 14 World Cup goals earlier in the competition.
Mbappe had briefly overtaken Messi in the all-time standings after scoring twice for France, but the Argentina captain's hat-trick against Algeria changed the picture once again.
Messi also hit two other milestones during the match, making his 200th appearance for Argentina and becoming the first player to appear at six different World Cups.
With Argentina still early in their campaign and Mbappe continuing to score regularly for France, the race for World Cup scoring immortality looks far from over.
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