Lionel Messi scored thrice for Argentina against Algeria on Wednesday in its Group J opener. | Photo Credit: REUTER

An emotional Lionel Messi was wiping his ​tears with his shirt after scoring ‌Argentina’s first goal against Algeria ​in the World ⁠Cup, a strike that marked the beginning of a memorable performance where ‌he netted thrice to secure a 3-0 win. ‌

But while his first ‌World ⁠Cup hat-trick had many ⁠Argentine fans in tears of joy, Messi said he was crying for ​a personal ‌reason unrelated to the sport. “Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football. ‌I went through some ​difficult days,” said Messi, who is playing in a ⁠record sixth World Cup, after Tuesday’s match.

“But I’m grateful to ‌the entire delegation and my team-mates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get ‌through it.” Messi, who turns 39 ​next week, has equalled Miroslav Klose’s record of ⁠scoring 16 goals at the World ⁠Cup. Argentina will continue their title defence with ‌a Group J game against Austria on Monday. 

Published on Jun 17, 2026