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At the height of their best moments, at the top of their game, the South Americans created a saying in Spanish when talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But, for the sake of brevity, I will translate it.
Ronaldo may be the best player in the world, but Messi? It’s from another planet.
So, on Tuesday night, under the sky over Kansas City, a city famous as the capital of American soccer, Lionel Messi, in a record-breaking sixth World Cup, reminded the United States and the world of his otherworldly qualities, scoring his first World Cup hat trick of his career during Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The three goals put him in first place on the list for most men’s goals in the World Cup (16), along with Germany’s Miroslav Klose. A record that will surely be broken when the Albiceleste will face Austria next Monday in Dallas.
What’s more, Messi, at 38 years and 357 days, became the oldest male player to score a hat trick in a World Cup, surpassing Ronaldo by five years. He also now holds the record for the youngest and oldest Argentine goalscorer (18 years old in 2006 and 38 now) and has scored in five consecutive World Cup matches. If he scores again, he will have a new record.
Do you want another one? For Argentina, he is the first national team player to score in five consecutive World Cups, surpassing Hernán Crespo and Guillermo Stábile. It was his 11th overall hat trick with his national team.
The hat trick itself was Messi’s par excellence.
The first goal came in the 17th minute, and it was a left-footed golden rocket that was too much for Luca Zidane, Zinedine’s second son, who was there and could only marvel at what Leo had just done to his second son.
The second, in the 60th minute, was just a sample of his quick instinct after the aforementioned Zidane wasted Alexis Mac Allister’s attempt and Messi was the first to react.
I want to remind everyone that he will turn 39 in eight days and that his instincts remain intact.
Then came the icing on the cake in the 76th minute, when Messi took the ball from outside the box, and it was almost as if Algeria had accepted their fate.
Go ahead Leo. No matter what we do, you’re still going to score.
And he did it, while the Argentine captain looked up and, without hesitation, placed it in the back right of Zidane’s goal.
The stadium erupted and three minutes later, the world stood to marvel and honor the greatness when Messi was replaced by Nico Paz. Some things, Lionel Scaloni thought, are better finished sooner to be fully appreciated.
Greater obstacles will surely come in the tournament for Argentina and Messi, who knows that the most important thing about this World Cup in particular is taking care of his physical condition.
And since time waits for no one, we can only reflect on the fact that this is his last tournament. But tonight, in Argentina’s opening victory, as they look to defend their glorious title, we once again thanked the football gods that Lionel Messi has not left us.
He is very here.
Luis Miguel Echegaray is the author of “Messi Mania,” his debut book about the World Cup champion, his incredible career and how his arrival at Inter Miami in 2023 impacted the American sports landscape.
