The United States is now well-acquainted with Lionel Messi , with the playmaker closing in on three years at Inter Miami , yet there was still something extraordinary about the occasion in Kansas City.
Messi is nearing his 39th birthday, meaning this will almost certainly be his sixth and final FIFA World Cup. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is the first player to ever feature at six tournaments, and he shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
In his 200th appearance for Argentina , Messi dominated proceedings against Algeria . He netted his 118th, 119th, and 120th goals for his country - his first World Cup hat-trick - bringing his competition tally to 16 goals, surpassing the great Brazilian Ronaldo and drawing level with Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 as the tournament's all-time leading scorer, as per The Mirror .
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While Kylian Mbappe could have something to say about that, having advanced to 14 goals himself by scoring twice in France 's 3-1 victory over Senegal , he remains some distance short of Messi's standing in the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo will join his long-time rival in competing at a sixth World Cup on Wednesday when Portugal face DR Congo. However, with just eight World Cup goals to his name, he faces a considerable challenge to keep pace with the Argentine maestro, who became the oldest player to score a brace at the World Cup, after Mbappe and Norway 's Erling Haaland also grabbed two goals apiece in their respective matches, before adding a third to become the tournament's top scorer in 2026 and author the biggest story of this summer's World Cup so far.
Lionel Scaloni merits significant praise for structuring his side to complement Messi, who controls the team without detrimentally affecting it. The reigning champions demonstrated their credentials as FIFA president Gianni Infantino watched on from the stands.
Messi's longevity is evidenced by his extraordinary and unmatched statistics, but also by the goalkeeper he defeated twice. Luca Zidane is the son of Zinedine Zidane - a player Messi encountered on the field in El Clásico and in the dugout as a manager.
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The 28-year-old goalkeeper certainly unintentionally assisted the legendary forward, failing to stop his 25-yard strike, pushing it into the top corner for 1-0. He also contributed by palming out Alexis Mac Allister 's long-range strike into Messi's path for a nonchalant rebound tap-in.
The third was classic Messi, collecting the ball on the penalty area's edge, maneuvering into space, and delivering a low shot into the bottom corner. Moments later, he departed the field to a standing ovation as Scaloni acted to safeguard his talisman.
Based on this performance, Klose will be surpassed in the near future. And while Mbappe is expected to advance to the top of the rankings eventually, considering he's only 27 years old, Messi has already utilized this tournament to further cement himself as the undisputed greatest of all time.
