Messi Matches World Cup Scoring Mark, Claims Record 11th Player of the Match Award

Fifa World Cup 2026 : For much of the build-up to the World Cup, the questions had been familiar. Was Lionel Messi fit? Was this one World Cup too far? At 38, carrying the load of two decades at the summit of football, could he still bend the sport to his will when it mattered most?

After Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria in Kansas City, the answer had arrived in the form of three goals, a standing ovation and a reminder that football’s greatest stage still seems to belong to him.

Messi silences doubt

Argentina began their title defence with a 3-0 win and Messi, playing in a record sixth World Cup, played the central role once again with a hat-trick that cleared the air around his fitness, and gave Argentina’s title defence wings.

Messi also made history by being the player with the most man of match awards in FIFA World Cup tournament history with eleven. He has played for Argentina in six world cups right from 2006 up to this year in 2026 and has been the driving force behind Argentina’s success for 20 years and even led them to the ultimate gold in 2022.

It was also a night when the World Cup’s biggest stars collectively announced their presence. Kylian Mbappe scored a brace as France opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal, while Erling Haaland, too, found the net twice in Norway’s 4-1 victory over Iraq.

“My tears after the first goal? I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to football. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said afterward, without elaborating. “I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”

20 years of sheer dominance

His incredible trio of goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro in which he scored and made Rosario’s pride only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.

Messi has 16 goals in his record six World Cup appearances overall, and it seems inevitable that Klose’s record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat-trick was the 61st of Messi’s career and his 11th while playing in his national team colors.

It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.

“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I’m living though now is the cherry on top,” Messi said. “I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”

Messi also has other remarkable stats like eight ballon d’ors and the most man of the match awards. These are stats which are unmatched in modern football. Messi has also won multiple UEFA champions league titles and numerous La Liga titles. In the 2022 world cup, he led Argentina to the trophy and further cemented himself as the greatest player of all time in all of football.