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KANSAS CITY: Argentina captain Lionel Messi added another remarkable chapter to his legendary career on Tuesday, equalling the all-time men’s FIFA World Cup scoring record with a sensational hat-trick in his side’s tournament opener against Algeria.
The 38-year-old forward struck three times to move level with German great Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals, placing himself at the summit of the competition’s all-time scoring charts.
Messi, who is featuring in a record sixth FIFA World Cup, opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a long-range effort that gave Argentina control of the contest.
He doubled his tally shortly after the hour mark with a close-range finish before completing his hat-trick in the 76th minute, sparking wild celebrations among Argentina supporters in Kansas City.
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The three-goal performance saw Messi overtake Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario, who scored 15 World Cup goals, and move alongside Klose, whose record had stood alone since the 2014 tournament.
The latest milestone came just hours after France striker Kylian Mbappe had climbed the rankings with a brace of his own.
Mbappe moved past Messi’s pre-match tally of 13 goals to reach 14, drawing level with German icon Gerd Müller. However, Messi’s hat-trick dramatically reshuffled the standings and restored him to the top of the all-time list.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup history
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 16
Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16
Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15
Kylian Mbappe (France) – 14
Gerd Müller (West Germany) – 14
Just Fontaine (France) – 13
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