Messi, hat-trick in Argentina-Algeria | Gazzetta.it

After the first goal of one of the most incredible matches of his 20-year history at the World Cup, Leo Messi cried. “The truth is that, for an issue that has nothing to do with sport, I have had some difficult, complicated days. But I want to thank the whole delegation, all my teammates because they have always been by my side, giving me a lot of strength to make me feel good.” The struggling Messi remained off the pitch. The one inside, in his first match at the World Cup, in Kansas City tore Algeria to pieces and dragged Argentina to a clear 3-0 with a sensational hat-trick that transformed him into the best scorer in the history of the World Cup. That’s 16 goals now, like Miroslav Klose. As if this wasn’t the first act of his sixth and final World Cup, as if he didn’t have to blow out 39 candles on the cake next week. “Leo is inexplicable for what he does. But he has been doing it for 20 years” coach Scaloni said with a smile.

Messi’s dream

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“As I always say, everything I’m experiencing now is fantastic – continues the one who for Argentina is a God and the great attraction for the 69,000 who filled the Kansas City stadium -. I was lucky enough to make all my dreams come true and I did it on a group level, which took me to a higher level than what I could have achieved on an individual level. Today I’m taking advantage of this, of a fantastic group that makes me feel good. And luckily I can have fun on the pitch as I’ve always loved. Honestly, everything I have experienced is much more than I could have ever imagined as a child. I like to compete, to give my best: if I can continue to do it and feel good, I will continue to do it. I like football, it is the passion I have had since I was a child and when I feel good I give my best. These days we are watching the series on Rafa Nadal and I identify with him a lot: I think we are similar in this.

placed, how many records

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Giving his best is what Leo did in his debut at his 6th World Championship, exactly on the day of exactly 20 years since his first time. He transformed it into yet another demonstration of his greatness, in the Leo Messi Show, into such a beautiful proof that his tears are the same as those of those fans who went crazy to see him, Argentine or not. Becoming the best scorer in the history of the World Cup, a record which he adds to that of the greatest number of matches played (27 with this one to increase the record taken from Lothar Matthäus in the final four years ago), is no small feat, even for someone like him. “It’s an honor to be there for what it means – he raises Klose’s record -. But for me they are statistics: in that ranking there are also Ronaldo and Mbappé, who scored two goals in his first game. They are statistics for me, obviously it is a luxury to be able to compete with them but they are just statistics. For me, Ronaldo was the greatest goalscorer and he is not first. He is a statistic”. Messi also cried after the first goal, and obviously the statistics have nothing to do with it: “It’s a question completely distant from sport, but I’ve had some difficult and complicated days – he revealed -. I thank the whole delegation and all my teammates because they were at my side as always, giving me the strength so that everything went well”.

the flea numbers

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Statistics, even if they are just numbers for Messi, are part of what makes him legendary. This first hat-trick of his at the World Cup comes on the 20th anniversary of his first time, on 16 June 2006. He used it to score double numbers with Argentina: this one against Algeria was his 200th match for the national team, with which he has now reached 120 goals. He became, at 38 years and 357 days, the oldest player ever to score more than one goal in the same match at a World Cup, a record taken from Roger Milla, one of the heroes of Cameroon and Italia ’90. Every action kept the crowd in check, every goal was a step in history. It may be his 6th World Cup, it may just be numbers, but if this is Messi, even at almost 39 years of age, there are more records coming. And Argentina’s dream that Leo can drag them to an encore.