Lionel Messi Reacts After Historic World Cup Hat-Trick vs Algeria: “God Gave Me Too Much”
- Lionel Messi has shared his thoughts after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener
- The defending champions defeated Algeria 3-0 in Kansas, with all three goals from their captain, Lionel Messi
- Messi’s hat-trick moved him level with German legend Miroslav Klose as the all-time World Cup top scorer
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match against Algeria, and could not contain his emotions afterwards.
Argentina began the defence of the title they won in Qatar four years ago with a 3-0 win over the Desert Foxes at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas.
Source: Getty Images
Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane palmed a Messi long-range effort into his net for the first goal, which gave La Albiceleste the lead at halftime.
Messi luckily avoided a red card for a studs-up challenge on Algerian captain Aissa Mandi, which many fans feel was too rash to avoid even a booking.
Zidane gifted Messi another goal after spilling a shot into his path for the captain to tap home, before the Inter Miami star netted another shot from outside the box to complete his hat-trick.
As noted by FIFA, it was his first World Cup hat-trick, and it came exactly 20 years after his first goal, moving him to 16 goals, joint all-time top scorer alongside Miroslav Klose.
Messi reacts after historic hat-trick
Lionel Messi was emotional after his first goal, but was excited after completing the hat-trick in front of a man he adores, Zinedine Zidane, and against his son.
He remained humble despite the historic night and refused to accept that he is the best of all time, though he accepted being one of them.
“I can't ask for anything more, God gave me too much, now everything is just to enjoy,” he told DSports Argentina. “I'm just happy to be considered as one of the best in football history. I'm just grateful to be considered among many great players.”
“It's an honour to be there because of what it means to be next to Klose. Ronaldo is there too, but it doesn't mean anything. Mbappé also scored two today; in the end, it's just a statistic,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
“While it's a source of pride to compete with all of them, it doesn't mean anything. From what I saw, Ronaldo was one of the greatest, and he's not in first place; it's just a statistic.”
Messi will have a chance to become the player with the most goals in World Cup history when Argentina line up for their second match against Austria.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni hinted that he could be rested for the final game against Jordan if Argentina beats Austria and progresses to the knockout stage.
FIFA sends message to Messi
Legit.ng previously reported that FIFA sent a message to Lionel Messi after scoring a hat-trick in his first game of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA on X simply described Messi as class after the Argentina national team captain left everyone speechless with his performance.
Source: Legit.ng
