For two decades, Lionel Messi has turned the FIFA World Cup into a personal scrapbook of milestones.
The teenage prodigy who scored on his World Cup debut in Germany. The captain who lifted the trophy in Qatar. The elder statesman who became the first man to play in six World Cups.
On Tuesday night in Kansas City, he checked off something else.
At 38 years old and just days shy of his 39th birthday, Messi scored the first World Cup hat trick of his extraordinary career, leading Argentina past Algeria and climbing into a tie for the tournament’s all-time scoring record.
The goals came in different ways, but they carried the same message: the game’s biggest stage still belongs to him.
The first arrived after Messi slipped into a familiar pocket of space and coolly finished a pass from Inter Milan teammate Rodrigo De Paul. The second came amid Argentina’s growing control of the match. By the time the third found the back of the net in the second half, thousands of Argentina supporters had already risen to their feet.
They knew they were witnessing history.
“LIIIIIOOOONEL MESSIIIIIIII!” Fox broadcaster John Strong shouted on the call as Messi completed his hat trick.
The roar inside the stadium suggested no further description was necessary.
Messi Reaches Yet Another World Cup Summit
The hat trick pushed Messi into a tie for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history and added another entry to a résumé that increasingly defies comparison.
According to OptaJoe, Messi also now has five goals from outside the penalty area in World Cup competition, matching Brazilian legend Rivellino for the most by any player since detailed tournament records began in 1966. OptaJoe also added Messi is the oldest player to score multiple goals in a FIFA World Cup match, surpassing Roger Milla (38y 34d) in 1990 at 38 years, 357 days old.
The statistic speaks to one of the defining traits of Messi’s career.
World Cup goals often emerge from chaos, rebounds and crowded penalty areas.
Messi’s frequently arrive from somewhere more difficult — spaces that only he seems able to identify and angles that only he appears capable of exploiting.
The Late-Career Numbers Border on Absurd
If Messi’s records are astonishing, his timing may be even more remarkable.
According to ESPN FC, the Argentina captain now has nine World Cup goals after turning 35 years old. That total alone exceeds the entire World Cup careers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Diego Maradona, Rivaldo, Neymar and Harry Kane.
For most footballers, the late 30s are reserved for farewell tours and diminishing minutes.
For Messi, they have become another golden age.
Tuesday’s performance came exactly 20 years after he scored in his World Cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro.
Back then, Messi was introducing himself to the world.
Now, the world is simply trying to keep pace with him.
Because after six World Cups, countless records and now the first World Cup hat trick of his career, Lionel Messi is no longer merely adding to his legacy.
He is stretching the boundaries of what a football career can be.
Lionel Messi’s First World Cup Hat Trick Ties All-Time Record