200th cap, first hat-trick, all-time record: The night Messi became untouchable at World Cup 2026

On his 200th international appearance for Argentina, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium — his first-ever World Cup hat-trick — in what experts are calling one of the greatest individual performances in World Cup history.

Messi broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with a left-footed strike from distance, doubled the lead on the hour mark with his weaker right boot, and completed the hat-trick in the 76th minute with a curling effort into the bottom corner of Luca Zidane's goal.

With his hat-trick, Messi drew level with Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals — the all-time record at the time. He has since gone on to score 21 goals in total at the 2026 tournament, becoming the outright all-time World Cup scoring record holder.

Messi also became the oldest player to score multiple goals in a single World Cup match, surpassing Cameroon legend Roger Milla's long-standing record. ESPN's Gabriele Marcotti described the performance as "supernatural" — a word rarely used in serious football analysis.

The 3-0 win over Algeria was Argentina's opening group game. The reigning champions went on to top their group, advancing to the knockout rounds where Messi continued to score in every stage — including the crucial equaliser against Egypt in the Round of 16 from 2-0 down.

At the quarter-final stage, Messi leads the Golden Boot standings with 21 goals. Haaland and Mbappe are both on 7, with Kane on 6. Messi has never won a Golden Boot — his last World Cup appears to be the most likely time to finally correct that record.