In a historic moment, Lionel Messi scored in his fifth World Cup, joining Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to achieve this feat. The goal gave Argentina an early 1-0 lead over Algeria during Tuesday night’s match at Arrowhead Stadium.
Messi, making his sixth appearance in the tournament, capitalized on an opening in the Algerian defense, scoring his 14th World Cup goal and sending the packed crowd into celebration. Earlier, a goal by Messi had been disallowed for offsides.
Messi’s latest goal ties him with Kylian Mbappé and Gerd Muller for third place on the all-time World Cup goal list. Miroslav Klose holds the record with 16 goals.
On Tuesday, France defeated Senegal 3-1 with Mbappé contributing two goals. The goal came on the 20th anniversary of Messi’s World Cup debut, which occurred against Serbia and Montenegro.
Approaching his 39th birthday, Messi recently overcame a minor hamstring injury to deliver a standout performance. During a tune-up against Iceland, he scored on a penalty kick while playing for 20 minutes.
This match marked Messi’s 200th international appearance. Among men’s players, only Ronaldo and Bader al-Mutawa have more caps, with Ronaldo setting to play his 229th match.
In Kansas City, fans enthusiastically welcomed Messi. Many wore his No. 10 jersey, celebrating at the Power & Light District where a goat, dubbed a symbol of the greatest of all time, made an appearance with broadcaster Jameis Winston.
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