Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has etched his name further into FIFA World Cup history by scoring a sensational hat-trick against Algeria and setting a new tournament record.<\/p>\n
According to international media reports, Messi became the oldest player ever to score a World Cup hat-trick at the age of 38 years and 357 days.<\/p>\n
The Argentine captain netted three goals in his side’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leading Argentina to a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria. Messi opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike, added his second goal from close range after a rebound, and completed his hat-trick with a brilliant solo effort.<\/p>\n
With this remarkable achievement, Messi surpassed the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, who scored a World Cup hat-trick against Spain at the age of 33 during the 2018 tournament.<\/p>\n
Reports also noted that Messi reached the milestone in his 200th international appearance. His three-goal performance took his World Cup tally to 16 goals, drawing level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the joint highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history.<\/p>\n
The historic feat came exactly 20 years after Messi scored his first World Cup goal, making the achievement even more memorable and adding another remarkable chapter to his legendary career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"