Lionel Messi Shines in Kansas City as Argentina Starts Title Defense

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Different continent, new World Cup cycle, same story: Lionel Messi still owns the biggest stage.

At 38, with questions swirling about how long he can keep bending tournaments to his will, Messi walked into Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night and answered them the only way he ever really has — with goals. Three of them. Argentina 3, Algeria 0, and a World Cup title defense launched with the authority of a champion who remembers exactly how painful a false start can be.

No drama this time. No Saudi Arabia-style shock. Just a ruthless opening statement.

A record reached, a crowd silenced and then roaring

Messi’s hat trick dragged him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, the joint all-time record. It is a mark that has stood as a monument to longevity and consistency. Now, the Argentine captain stands alongside it, with Group J fixtures against Austria and Jordan still to come — and the record there for the taking.

He did it with the kind of variety that has defined his career.

The first came in the 17th minute, a move that began with the familiar hum of Argentina’s midfield. Rodrigo De Paul slipped into space, Messi drifted into that pocket he has made his own for two decades, and suddenly the game opened. One touch to set, another to unleash — a searing strike from outside the box, arrowed into the top corner. Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine, could only watch it fly past him.

Arrowhead erupted. The defending champions had their early lead, and the tension that had stalked their 2022 opener never had a chance to settle in.

Argentina waste chances, but control never slips

Once ahead, Argentina pushed. Thiago Almada found himself with a clear sight of goal before the break but failed to convert, dragging his effort and letting Algeria off the hook. Lautaro Martínez then forced Zidane into action, the young goalkeeper standing up well to keep the deficit at one.

Algeria hung on, but they were never allowed to feel comfortable. Argentina pressed high, recycled possession, and kept Messi on the ball, probing at angles, testing defensive lines, dictating the rhythm. The champions were not flawless, but they were in command.

The sense was clear: another goal would come. It was only a matter of when.

The pressure tells, and Messi pounces

The second arrived shortly after the hour mark, and it was classic penalty-box instinct from a player so often defined by his artistry outside it.

Alexis Mac Allister broke through and forced Zidane into a sharp save. The ball spilled loose. For a split second, the entire box froze. Messi did not. He reacted first, swept in the rebound, and doubled Argentina’s lead with the most straightforward finish of his treble.

At 2-0, the result felt all but sealed. Algeria’s resistance, brave to that point, began to fray. Argentina, sensing it, pushed for more.

Messi almost had his third within minutes, released clean through on goal. One-on-one with Zidane, he tried to pick his spot, but the goalkeeper stood tall and blocked, denying what seemed a certain goal. Moments later, Messi appealed for a penalty after contact in the box, turning to the referee with arms spread wide. The claim went nowhere, but the message was unmistakable: he was not done.

The hat trick, the ovation, the message

The final act came in the 76th minute, and it carried the cool inevitability of a player who has spent his life deciding games.

Nicolás González slipped a neat pass into Messi’s path. No flourish, no wasted touch. Messi opened his body and rolled a low shot into the corner, just out of Zidane’s reach. Simple. Clinical. Historic.

Hat trick complete. Record matched. World Cup campaign properly underway.

By then, Argentina were cruising, the points secure, the anxiety of an opening match washed away. When Messi’s number went up late on, the stadium rose as one. A standing ovation swept around Arrowhead, Argentina fans singing, neutrals applauding, everyone aware they had just watched another chapter in a career that keeps refusing to wind down.

Argentina walked off with three goals, three points, and their captain level with Klose at the summit of World Cup scoring history.

Next come Austria and Jordan. More group games, more minutes, more chances for Messi to step out of the record books and stand alone. How long can he keep doing this? On this evidence, that is a question for another day.