The 'God of Football' Strikes Again: Messi Scores Hat-Trick in Opening Match

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Lionel Messi of Argentina, often hailed as the "God of Football," made a powerful statement in his opening match. With a stunning hat-trick against Algeria, he shattered multiple records and signaled a strong start to Argentina's quest for a second consecutive title.

Reporter Yoo Byung-min has the story.

[Reporter]

Making his historic sixth World Cup appearance, the 39-year-old Messi proved that he remains dazzling whenever the ball is at his feet.

Although a goal in the 5th minute of the first half—scored after penetrating the defense—was narrowly ruled offside, he sent the stadium into a frenzy in the 17th minute. Dropping back into the midfield, he unleashed a blistering left-footed long-range strike that found the back of the net.

The precision of the shot left Algeria's goalkeeper, Luca Zidane—son of Zinedine Zidane—helpless.

The second half was another one-man show by Messi.

In the 15th minute of the second half, when the goalkeeper parried a long-range shot from Alexis Mac Allister, Messi pounced on the rebound to finish with ease.

He had been monitoring the situation while maintaining distance from the defenders, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Then, in the 31st minute of the second half, he completed his hat-trick with another sharp left-footed shot.

Despite four defenders rushing toward him, he threaded the ball through the narrowest of gaps.

Having scored his 120th goal in his 200th international appearance, Messi was substituted in the 35th minute of the second half with the match effectively decided. Fans gave him a standing ovation, chanting "GOAT," a term signifying the greatest player of all time.

[G.O.A.T. - Greatest of All Time]

Messi received a perfect rating of 10, leading his team to a 3-0 victory.

[Lionel Messi / Argentina National Team: Fortunately, I felt in good shape, and I enjoyed myself on the pitch in the way I love to play.]

With these three goals, Messi brought his total World Cup tally to 16, matching the record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose. He also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo at age 33.

Furthermore, he set a new record for the most total goal contributions in World Cup history with 24, surpassing the legendary Pelé.

[Lionel Messi / Argentina National Team: While I am proud of the records, they don't hold much significance to me. Numbers are just statistics that remain.]

As Messi continues his record-breaking run, Argentina now looks ahead to their second match against Austria in their journey to defend their title.

Reported by Yoo Byung-min | Video by Jang Hyun-ki | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.