Anything you do, I can do better.
Just hours after France star Kylian Mbappé jumped Lionel Messi for the third-most goals scored in World Cup history at 13, the Argentine answered back — three times.
Messi opened up his first game at the 2026 World Cup with a hat trick in a brilliant performance in Kansas City.
In the 17th minute, a pass from the back line found Messi in stride, and he cut through the defense. Messi took his chance just outside the 18-yard box, and the ball floated just above Algeria keeper Luca Zidane’s mitts, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead.
But he wasn’t done yet.
In the 60th minute, after Alexis Mac Allister was denied, the rebound was cashed in by Messi, increasing Argentina’s lead to 2-0.
He found the back of the net again 16 minutes later to complete his first-ever World Cup hat trick. He was subbed out in the 80th minute before he could score again.
Messi has now tied Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals scored all-time at the World Cup.
Both Messi and Mbappe — who scored twice Tuesday — have ample time in this World Cup to set new records, as both Argentina and France are favorites to advance to the knockout stage. For the first time, the World Cup features a round-of-32 stage, giving players an extra game to tally a goal.
The 2026 World Cup is the 38-year-old Messi’s sixth and possibly last of his illustrious career. Messi was a key player in bringing the World Cup back to Argentina in 2022 for the first time since 1986.
The opposite can be said for the 27-year-old Mbappé, who has only appeared in 16 World Cup matches, scoring 14 goals in the process. Mbappé helped his team rally from a disappointing half on Tuesday afternoon by scoring two goals in the second half. Those goals, plus one from Bradley Barcola, gave France a convincing 3-1 win over Senegal.
Mbappé and France are lined up to play Iraq, while Argentina and Messi will face Austria next, with both games coming on Monday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
