Lionel Messi was not completely sure if he would be attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but La Pulga is not only back in the spotlight - he has already broken several of his old records in the team’s very first game against Algeria. The country got off to an explosive start in their first game against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and Lionel Messi absolutely stole the show, scoring the tournament’s first hat-trick, leading his team past Algeria and onto the ultimate goal - defending the nation’s status as the 2022 winners. This is precisely what is at stake here. Argentina has a historic chance to add its name to the list of nations to have secured back-to-back wins, and while the country has had reason to worry about how well it would perform, La Pulga’s performance in the opening game showed that it is completely able to hold its own and breeze to victory. With Algeria out of the way, Argentina is expected to finish the group comfortably in the lead, but there are still more records to be broken by Lionel Messi, who has already toppled a few.
Lionel Messi is the first player in history to have played at six World Cup events
La Pulga is now the only player in the world to have participated in six World Cup tournaments. The eight-time Balon d’Or winner previously hesitated whether he should return for the 2026 edition, mulling whether his physical state would allow. He apparently had nothing to worry about, with Messi vindicating expectations and leading his team to win once again. His mere appearance at a World Cup, though, is not the only record he has broken, with the player’s opening game performance doing him credit. Ronaldo is also joining as the only other player to have achieved the same feat during a World Cup in his game for Portugal.
Lionel Messi finally scored a hat-trick at the World Cup
Lionel Messi has been chasing a hat-trick at a World Cup event for a while now, and he did come close - in 2014 in a game against Nigeria and in 2022, during the final against France, scoring two goals in each, but failing to secure a third point. Regardless, he has finally improved on this, securing one of the most meaningful achievements a player could hope for, and in what is clearly La Pulga’s very last appearance at such a tournament.
Lionel Messi has scored in five out of six World Cup tournaments
Lionel Messi is now neck-and-neck with Cristiano Ronaldo for having scored goals at five World Cup tournaments, out of six total participations. The Portuguese player is the only other player to have done the same. He almost improved this but faltered in 2010 when Messi only scored one assist in the tournament.
As of now, Messi has 915 goals, 120 of those for the national team
Lionel Messi now officially has 915 goals over his career. He will clearly add more before this event is out - or is very likely to do so, especially with the remainder of the Group Stage expected to be a breeze for Argentina. La Pulga has scored 120 of these goals for his national team, and has played a total of 1157 games. He is still behind Ronaldo, though, who has scored 973 goals across 1323 games, and has clearly been playing in over two hundred more games than his Argentine rival.
Messi is the third player in the world to have played the most games for his national team
La Pulga is now set to become the second player in the world to have played the most games for his national team, with the other record-holders - Cristiano Ronaldo with 228 games, and Bader Al-Mutawa with 202 games. Lionel Messi will clearly overtake Al-Mutawa during the current World Cup, but he is not going to be able to catch up to Ronaldo, who is also playing. Messi currently has 200 games for his national team, catching up to Al-Mutawa by the end of the group stage and ahead of the Round of 32 if all is well with the player physically.
Lionel Messi has scored his 16th goal in a World Cup
Lionel Messi is now officially one of two soccer players to have scored 16 goals in the World Cup, with the other player being the German Miroslav Klose. However, by the end of the event, Messi will be the title holder. This alone is a cause for celebration, with the record very likely to last, and La Pulga bound to add even more goals under his name over the coming weeks. In fact, Messi scored his 14th, 15th and 16th goals at the World Cup in the opening game against Algeria, playing a consistently fast game.
Comments
No comments yet.