Messi Kicks Off 6th World Cup in a Big Way

Lionel Messi picked a big moment to quiet the doubters. The 38-year-old scored all three goals in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria on Tuesday, matching Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring mark of 16 and becoming the oldest player to record a hat-trick at the tournament, per Reuters. Playing his 200th game for Argentina and appearing in a record sixth World Cup, Messi struck in the 17th, 60th, and 76th minutes, after an early effort was ruled offside.

His first and third were long-range blasts; the second came after a spill by Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane. All three arrived 20 years to the day after his very first World Cup goal, showing Messi's remarkable longevity in the sport just a week before his 39th birthday. Even Algerian captain Aissa Mandi recognized his skill, calling Messi "maybe the best player of all time." Some fans thought Messi should've been booted in the first half for putting his studs on Mandi's calf, but the foul did not result in a card, per Metro.