Lionel Messi rewrites history books at record sixth World Cup
Key takeaways
- Messi scores three exactly 20 years to the day he made his World Cup debut for Argentina.
- The 38-year-old rewrote the history books from the minute he stepped onto the pitch at Kansas City Stadium for his 200th international appearance on Tuesday night.
- Messi’s first goal of the night came at 17 minutes and equalled Kylian Mbappe’s 14 goals at a World Cup, with the Frenchman having eclipsed the Argentinian just hours earlier in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal in New York.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Messi scores three exactly 20 years to the day he made his World Cup debut for Argentina.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Lionel Messi became the first player to appear in six FIFA World Cups on Tuesday [Jay Biggerstaff/Reuters]By Anushe Engineer Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026Argentina icon Lionel Messi has become the most decorated player of all time at the FIFA World Cup, scoring his maiden tournament hat-trick against Algeria in a match his side won 3-0, at a personal record sixth World Cup appearance.
The 38-year-old rewrote the history books from the minute he stepped onto the pitch at Kansas City Stadium for his 200th international appearance on Tuesday night.