Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 17th June 2026, 3:53 PM
The reigning world champions, Argentina, have successfully initiated their World Cup campaign with a definitive victory over Algeria. The Albiceleste secured a 3-0 win against their opponents in a Group J fixture held at the Concas City Stadium. The match was defined by a stellar performance from Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who scored all three goals for his national team. Beyond securing three points for his country, Messi’s treble saw him break two long-standing international football records previously held by Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
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By finding the back of the net three times against Algeria, Lionel Messi registered the first World Cup hat-trick of his professional career. In doing so, the Argentine captain established a new benchmark as the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
The previous record belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, who achieved the feat during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Ronaldo was 33 years and 130 days old when he scored a memorable hat-trick against Spain in a group-stage match. Messi has now surpassed this age threshold, rewriting the tournament’s history books as its most senior hat-trick scorer.
In addition to the tournament-specific age record, the performance marked Messi’s 11th career hat-trick in international football. Prior to this fixture, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were jointly tied at the top of the all-time list, with both players having scored 10 international hat-tricks for their respective nations.
With this 11th treble, Messi has broken the deadlock to claim sole possession of the record for the most hat-tricks scored in international men’s football.
The statistical breakdown below illustrates the shift in records between the two football icons following the Group J encounter:
| Metric | Lionel Messi (Argentina) | Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) |
| Total International Hat-tricks | 11 (Current Record Holder) | 10 (Previous Co-holder) |
| World Cup Hat-tricks | 1 | 1 |
| World Cup Age Record Distinction | Oldest hat-trick scorer | Previous oldest hat-trick scorer (33 years, 130 days) |
| Record-breaking Match Opponent | Algeria | Spain |
| Match Venue | Concas City Stadium | Fisht Olympic Stadium (2018) |
| Tournament Stage | Group J | Group B (2018) |
Argentina’s 3-0 victory places the defending champions in a commanding position within Group J as the tournament progresses. The clean sheet, combined with Messi’s clinical efficiency in front of goal, ensures that the South American side claims the maximum three points from their opening fixture, whilst simultaneously shifting the landscape of individual historic football achievements.
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