Twenty years ago today, an 18-year-old with flowing hair and a baby face stepped off the bench in Leipzig and into World Cup history. Hailed as Argentina’s next great talent, he made an unforgettable first appearance on football’s biggest stage.
It took only 14 minutes for the teenager to leave his mark. Bursting into the area with electric speed, he set up Hernan Crespo before later breaking through on goal himself and calmly finishing with his weaker right foot to complete Argentina’s 6-0 rout of Serbia and Montenegro.
In the stands, a jubilant Diego Maradona — Argentina’s footballing deity — was captured celebrating wildly as the man many believed could one day inherit his crown announced himself to the world.
That player was Lionel Messi.
Two decades later, the youthful face and trademark long hair are gone. But with his 39th birthday just a week away, Messi’s brilliance remains as powerful as ever.
On Tuesday night, Argentina’s captain produced another masterclass, striking a sensational hat-trick to draw level with German legend Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals. His performance also launched the reigning champions’ title defense in ideal fashion, sealing a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria.
At his sixth tournament – a new record for a male player – this was his first ever World Cup hat-trick. For most mere mortals you would probably conclude that they have not or will not score a better one. It speaks to how unique of a talent Messi is that the same cannot be said for him.
Lionel Messi made World Cup history with a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria
The 38-year-old showed he still has plenty of magic in a masterful display in Kansas City
The million-dollar question heading into this World Cup was simple: How much does he have left in that glorious tank of his?
We needed just one game to find out. In fact, we only needed 17 minutes here in Kansas City. That was when La Pulga – which translates affectionately as ‘The Flea’ in Spanish – lifted a boisterous sea of blue-and-white at Arrowhead for the first time by collecting the ball from around 30 yards out, driving forward and unleashing a ferocious curling effort into the top-right corner.
Messi, a reserved and modest character throughout his storied career, had as big of a grin on his face as we’ve ever seen as he wheeled away in celebration, with both arms outstretched as if to say: ‘How could anyone ever doubt me?’
Argentina seemed to travel through the rest of the half in cruise control. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo de Paul were having a comfortable evening’s work in the middle of the park, while central defensive pairing Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero were not troubled too frequently
Their iconic leader in attack provided the brightest spark every time he got on the ball. While he is no longer the quickest player on the pitch at this stage of his career, in the 37th minute Messi showed that his spellbinding feet remain blindingly fast when he cleverly weaved past two players and released Lautaro Martinez in the box, only for the chance to go begging.
Towards the end of the first half Algeria upped the ante and created some decent openings for the first time since Fares Chaibi had a goal ruled out for offside in the eighth minute – not long after Messi had seen an early opener of his own disallowed, much to the despair of the Argentina faithful.
There was enough cause for optimism in the Algeria locker room at the break. Trailing by a goal, and a sublime strike by an all-time great, was by no means shameful. But 15 minutes into the second half, any hopes of them spoiling the Argentine party in Kansas City – where the famous home of the NFL’s Chiefs was flooded by thousands of Messi’s devoted followers – were dashed by the great man himself.
This one wasn’t a strike to salivate over, with Messi pouncing on the rebound after Mac Allister’s shot was saved by Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane to double the world champions’ lead. His disciples up in the stands hardly cared, though, as they serenaded their talisman, their hero with deafening affection.
And if those who had paid the big bucks to witness his brilliance in the flesh still weren’t satisfied – although that must have been impossible – he etched his name even further into the history books by receiving the ball just inside the box, taking a touch out of his feet and sweeping it into the bottom-left corner to equal Klose’s World Cup record and seal the most satisfying of three-goal victories.
Just as he was 20 years ago, the late, great Maradona will be smiling down on his protégé tonight after his latest performance for the ages.
Messi made his World Cup debut in Germany in 2006 in front of the legendary Diego Maradona
Messi leveled Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals with the hat-trick
Argentina still the team to beat
There will be tougher challenges in their quest to become only the third team in history to retain the World Cup, with Algeria providing very little threat and failing to register a shot on target in a miserable display, yet Messi’s three-goal heroics tonight proved that Argentina will take some stopping again this summer.
With the energy of Fernandez, De Paul and Mac Allister, who looked back to his best at times following an underwhelming club season with Liverpool, providing some much-needed legs behind him, the Barcelona legend has the platform to thrive on the biggest stage once more.
Aside from the heroics of his captain this was a controlled, dominant showing from the rest of Lionel Scaloni’s side. While there were flashes of quality from Martinez in attack, Messi was simply the difference.
You get the feeling that, as a collective, Argentina can still go up two or three more gears as the tournament goes on, which is a worrying prospect for the other leading contenders this summer.
More history awaits for Leo
With just one goal required, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Messi will break the record for most career World Cup goals at what will surely prove his final tournament.
Klose has long held the record of 16, and barring a disaster that tremendous feat will be bumped down to second in the all-time list by the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
In fact, if Kylian Mbappe keeps up his fine form for France – with his two goals in their 3-1 win over Senegal earlier on Tuesday moving him up to 14 – the German legend could quickly find himself third.
Regardless, Messi will surely make more history in the group stage given he is a single goal away from moving past Klose.
Oh, and as well as bagging his first ever hat-trick at the competition, he also became the first player in history to feature at six World Cups this evening.
Great rival Cristiano Ronaldo can match that on Wednesday, though whether he can do so in the same exquisite style remains to be seen.
Even Messi can’t fill FIFA’s stadiums
The topic of extortionate ticket prices and resulting empty seats at nearly every World Cup stadium has already been a fierce one this summer.
And even the presence of one of the greatest players in the sport’s history wasn’t enough to fill up Arrowhead on Tuesday night.
There were a depressing amount of empty seats all the way around the upper tier of the stadium throughout the game, while there were even quite a few directly opposite the TV camera in the lower section, which will have gone down like a lead balloon for FIFA.
If the superstar appeal of Messi can’t stop it, expect swathes of empty seats throughout this tournament as the matches increase in both importance and, as a result, price.
