Lionel Messi’s hat-trick proves he’s still the best player in the world: Can Argentina go back-to-back?

Last Updated on 17 June 2026

Hours after Kylian Mbappe leapfrogged him in the all-time World Cup goal charts, Lionel Messi responded in the most emphatic way imaginable.

A breathtaking hat-trick against Algeria in Kansas City powered Argentina to a commanding 3-0 victory in their opener and, in doing so, immediately answered two questions that have dominated football all week.

Is he still the best player in the world? And can he lead Argentina to a historic back-to-back World Cup triumph? After Tuesday night, the answers feel increasingly obvious.

The hat-trick that matched Miroslav Klose and reminded the world: Lionel Messi is still the best

Lionel Messi had barely recovered from a hamstring scare heading into this tournament, yet nobody told his feet. He fired Argentina ahead in the 17th minute with a trademark long-range screamer, his famous left foot doing damage from well outside the box before Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of French World Cup winner Zinedine, could react.

He then went quiet, before returning to remind everyone of his class with a composed tap-in on 60 minutes. Finally, in the 76th minute, he curled a precise effort into the bottom corner to complete his first-ever World Cup hat-trick. Messi wept openly after his first goal. “Yes, I cried,” he admitted afterwards, “but it was not related to anything on the football pitch.

I have been going through some difficult days, and I am grateful to have my teammates by my side.” The admission only made the performance more extraordinary. The treble moved him to 16 World Cup goals, level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time record, which Mbappe had been targeting just hours earlier with his own brace against Senegal.

Moreover, this was Messi’s 200th international appearance, making him only the third outfield player in history to reach that landmark. Scaloni, barely able to find words, said afterwards, via LiveScore: “He has been doing this for 20 years. The entire world tunes in just to watch him play.” At 38, that remains as true as ever.

Argentina look every bit the team to become first back-to-back champions since Brazil

Beyond Messi’s brilliance, however, Argentina demonstrated genuine squad depth. Julian Alvarez was relentless in his movement throughout, constantly dragging defenders out of position and creating the space Messi exploited.

Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister controlled the midfield with authority, while Emiliano Martinez barely had a save to make: a sign of how comprehensively Argentina controlled the contest.

Crucially, they now face Austria and Jordan in their remaining group games, and consequently look certain to advance from Group J with maximum points. Beyond the group stage, the draw sets up Argentina well.

Should they top Group J, their likely Round of 32 and Round of 16 opponents do not carry the firepower to derail them. Furthermore, no team has successfully defended the World Cup since Brazil in 1962: a 64-year drought that Argentina now have the best chance of ending.

The squad retains 17 players from the 2022 winning side. Scaloni’s tactical structure remains tight. Most importantly, Messi remains Messi. If this is truly his final World Cup dance, he is absolutely determined to go out the only way he knows how.