Kansas City, United States.
Lionel Messi He once again demonstrated why he is considered one of the best footballers of all time. The captain of the Argentina national team scored three goals in a 3-0 victory against Algeria in a duel in Group J of the 2026 World Cup.
The first came when just 17 minutes had passed in the first half, the Rosario star received the ball near the edge of the area, raised his head and took a spectacular left foot shot that ended up embedding itself in the corner of the African goal. The Algerian goalkeeper gave his all, but he could do nothing to prevent a score that is already a candidate for one of the best in the tournament.
The stadium exploded with emotion with the masterpiece of the Argentine captain, who once again appeared at the right moment to lead his team in a new World Cup adventure. The fans present stood up to applaud the Inter Miami player, aware that they were witnessing another historic chapter in the extraordinary career of Messi.
Lionel’s second goal came in the 60th minute after taking advantage of a rebound left by goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Fight to be the top scorer in World Cup history
Messi’s scores not only meant an important advantage for Argentina in their World Cup debut, but also allowed them to continue climbing positions among the top scorers in the history of the World Cups.
With this goal, Messi reached 16 goals in World Cups and surpassed the Frenchman’s figure. Kylian Mbappéwho hours before had scored a double in France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal.
Fight with Cristiano Ronaldo
But World Cup records are not the only goal pursued by the Argentine. His goal against Algeria also allowed him to close the gap in the historic fight he maintains with Cristiano Ronaldo for becoming the top scorer in professional football.
Currently, the Portuguese striker leads the historical ranking with 973 official goals throughout his career, while Messi occupies second position with 914 annotations. Although the difference is still considerable, each Argentine goal keeps alive a rivalry that has marked an era and that continues to write memorable chapters even in the final stretch of the careers of both legends.
The distance between CR7 and Messi is now 59 goals.
