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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Luke Baker

Why Lionel Messi cried during his hat-trick against Algeria

Lionel Messi Algeria Gerd Muller World Cup
  • Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick, leading Argentina to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening World Cup 2026 match.
  • Messi was seen wiping away tears after his first goal, later explaining the emotion was “completely unrelated to the sport”, and was instead linked to “difficult, complicated days”.
  • The 38-year-old's treble brought his total World Cup goals to 16, equalling Miroslav Klose 's all-time record.
  • Messi is now one goal ahead of Brazilian star Ronaldo and two ahead of German legend Gerd Muller and Kylian Mbappe .
  • Despite equalling the record, Messi said: “It’s a statistic and nothing more. While it’s an honour to be able to compete with all of them, it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

IN FULL

Lionel Messi explains why he was crying during World Cup hat-trick

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