KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Lionel Messi and his teammates went to thank the Argentina fans who came to the team’s 3-0 win over Algeria, they went to the north end of the field at Arrowhead Stadium, where Messi had just scored two of his three goals.
In any other World Cup, that side of the stadium would have been the only one to address. But on Tuesday night, the Argentine team could have made an entire lap around the pitch. Argentina fans had taken over Kansas City and made Arrowhead look like it was in Buenos Aires.
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A vast majority of those thousands upon thousands of fans had Messi’s name and number on the back of their Argentina jerseys. Sure, there were some Alexis Mac Allister jerseys, a few Lautaro Martínez ones and some with Julián Alvarez‘s last name and his No. 9.
But every single one of those fans was in attendance to see some Messi magic. And man, did he deliver.
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As he became the first man to play in six different World Cups and tied Miroslav Klose’s record for the most goals scored in World Cup history, the soon-to-be 39-year-old Messi scored his first World Cup hat trick in a style that was so perfectly Messi.
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He capitalized on an Algeria turnover in the 17th minute before sending a bending shot into the top right corner over the outstretched arms of Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
In the 60th minute, he came out of nowhere to pounce off a rebound from a long-distance Mac Allister shot that spilled just too far from Zidane’s reach.
And in the 76th minute, Messi placed an inch-perfect shot to the bottom left corner past a helpless Zidane.
That was the goal that tied him with Germany‘s Klose for the most in the tournament.
Three minutes after the third goal, Messi slowly walked off the field to fans in the upper decks prostrating in unison. They were all still in awe of the religious experience that unfolded before their eyes in his 200th game for Argentina.
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To totally appreciate Messi is to see him in person and watch how he operates off the ball before he takes a shot or makes a pass. Not only does he see space as it’s created, but he can see that space seconds before it actually exists. It’s an anticipation that’s unmatched and only bolstered by his years of experience.
Messi started Tuesday night’s game on the right wing and immediately drifted inside like he always does to be Argentina’s playmaking maestro. Whenever he did, there was always coverage on the right side, usually in the form of Rodrigo de Paul.
As he would move inside, Algeria’s defenders typically followed. Before his first goal, four Algerian players had Messi surrounded. But de Paul played a fantastic pass to Messi’s right side to give him the room to turn upfield with the ball.
Lionel Messi’s hat trick powers Argentina past Algeria in World Cup opener.
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Ahead of his second goal, Messi was in the middle of three Algerian defenders. But as the ball ricocheted off Zidane, Messi saw the bounce before anyone. Algeria’s players hardly moved, perhaps resigned to the fact that Messi was already both a mental and a physical step ahead of them.
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On the goal for the hat trick, Messi reacted first by simply slowing down. As the Algerian back line moved toward its own goal in unison as Nico Gonzalez had possession at the top of the penalty box, Messi stopped his run to create an opening between himself and the four defenders he split to send the ball past a diving Zidane.
With his 40th birthday just over a year away, it’s also obvious in person that Messi takes more opportunities to conserve energy. On the occasions when Algeria did have sustained possession on Argentina’s side of the field, Messi could often be found behind everyone else on Algeria’s side, lingering behind the play.
But he also never strayed too far, always ready to sneak back into the play if Argentina’s defense won possession. It’s a strategy that works not only because of Messi’s excellence, but because Lionel Scaloni’s side has long been built to defend with Messi’s attacking effectiveness in mind.
It’s a formula Argentina didn’t mess with ahead of the 2026 World Cup, either. Seventeen of the 26 players on the roster were with the team in 2022 and 11 players who saw playing time in the opener played in the World Cup final win over France.
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Another final is still seven games away. And Argentina, after losing last year’s tournament opener to Saudi Arabia, will be the first team to tell you that World Cup fortunes can turn quite quickly.
There was no reason to think Tuesday night that 2026 can be any different than 2022, however. As long as Argentina has Lionel Messi and his magic, its fans will believe another World Cup trophy is on the horizon.
