Lionel Messi put on a spectacular performance right from the start of his sixth World Cup. While he had his compatriots raving, his goal to make it 1-0 brought him to tears.
Anyone who set an alarm for 3 a.m. on Tuesday night likely didn’t regret it. On the contrary. They witnessed a performance by Lionel Messi that, given his age—he turns 39 in seven days—skeptics no longer thought he was capable of: He kicked off his sixth World Cup against Algeria (3–0) with his first hat trick at the tournament. “What I’m experiencing right now is a bonus. I’ve fulfilled all my dreams—and even more—both on an individual and a team level. Today, I’m enjoying this wonderful time more than I could ever have dreamed of as a child,” said the Albiceleste captain.
But it’s not just a joy for him—it’s a joy for every soccer fan. That’s why some fans are likely to feel a touch of melancholy after this performance. “You have to enjoy it, because we’ll miss him when he’s no longer on the field,” said Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni, voicing what many were surely thinking.
Messi will likely bid farewell to the World Cup stage as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer if he defends his lead over Kylian Mbappé. At least for now, he shares that record with Miroslav Klose (both with 16 goals). But it doesn’t seem to be of great importance to him. “It’s an honor. There’s Mbappé, Ronaldo—but those are just numbers that don’t mean anything. They’re statistics. Ronaldo is one of the greatest and isn’t in first place—so it’s just a statistic,” Messi explained.
However, the 38-year-old wasn’t as composed throughout the entire day as he was when accepting the record: Shortly after he fired the ball into the top right corner of the net in the 17th minute, tears rolled down his face. “That had nothing to do with the game. I’d been through a few difficult and complicated days. I’m grateful to the delegation and all my teammates. They were always there for me and gave me strength so I could feel better again,” the left-footed player revealed. Messi didn’t go into any further detail afterward.
La Pulga thanked everyone for their support on the field in his own unique way and made it clear once again that, despite his advanced age, he’s still Argentina’s game-changer. “There are no words left to describe this. If anyone thought this team was better off without Leo, then today it became clear that he’s the most important of them all, and we have to field a team in which he feels comfortable, because he’s the most important of them all,” explained Alexis Mac Allister. This is certainly confirmed by those who set their alarms in the middle of the night just to watch the game.