Get Guardian on GoogleArgentina captain, Lionel Messi, has played down his latest achievement in football, saying becoming the World Cup’s joint all-time leading goal-scorer “is nothing but a number”.
Messi rolled back the time on Wednesday morning by scoring his first ever hat-trick at a World Cup to lead Argentina to a 3-0 thrashing of Algeria in their opening group game in Kansas City.
He opened his record-breaking sixth World Cup with a hat-trick to become the tournament’s joint all-time top scorer on Tuesday as holders, Argentina launched their bid for back-to-back titles with a massive win.
On a magical night at Kansas City’s 69,045-capacity Arrowhead Stadium, the Inter Miami forward delivered an electrifying individual display to join Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup scorers charts with 16 goals.
The 38-year-old had started an unforgettable occasion, his 200th international appearance, by claiming a piece of history, becoming the first man to play in six World Cups as he led Argentina onto the field for what would become a one-sided Group J clash.
Messi, who first played in the World Cup as a teenager during the 2006 finals in Germany, then emphatically stamped his class on proceedings with a memorable hat-trick, the first of his World Cup career.
A 17th minute curling strike took his World Cup goals tally to 14, putting him alongside German legend Gerd Muller and France superstar Kylian Mbappe in the all-time rankings.
He then moved one clear of Muller and Mbappe to join Brazilian great Ronaldo on 15 goals in the 60th minute after pouncing on a rebound from an Alexis Mac Allister shot to make it 2-0.
The Barcelona legend went equal with Germany’s Klose on 16 goals in the 76th minute, sweeping in a low finish from the edge of the area before departing to a standing ovation from an adoring crowd four minutes later.
Messi savoured a “beautiful moment” after becoming the World Cup’s joint all-time leading goalscorer but played down the significance of his milestone scoring feat, saying “ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more”.
“To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment,” the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker said. “I am happy.”
He added: “It is an honour to be there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose or the others.
“Ronaldo is there too but I don’t think it means anything, Mbappe as well, who scored two (in a 3-1 win against Senegal). In the end, it is just a statistic and nothing more.”
Messi’s razor-sharp eye for goal augurs well for Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
“The squad, it is a very united, very strong group,” he said. “I feel good. We were lucky enough to win a tough match. It is important to start off with a win in the first game.
“I am grateful to the fans, because once again they have shown that Argentina is crazy about this, we packed the stadium again.”
