Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, has become the first player to score a hat-trick at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following his three-goal masterclass against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium during the group stage.
While Germany’s Miroslav Klose is directly impacted—now sharing his title as the World Cup all-time top scorer with the Argentine icon—Messi’s ultimate career rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, feels the biggest shift in the record books.
The Battle of Records: Messi vs. Ronaldo
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Scoring in 5 World Cups: Messi has now equaled Ronaldo’s historic record of scoring in 5 different World Cup editions. However, “CR7” can reclaim solo leadership if he finds the net for Portugal in this tournament.
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Oldest World Cup Hat-Trick Scorer: At 38 years and 358 days old, Messi is now officially the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history. He shattered Ronaldo’s previous record set during the 2018 World Cup in Russia against Spain (when Ronaldo was 33 years and 130 days old).
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6 World Cup Tournaments: Messi has broken clear as the first player in football history to participate in 6 different World Cup editions. Ronaldo is set to equal this legendary milestone the moment he steps onto the pitch against the DR Congo this Wednesday.
Furthermore, Messi has solidified his legacy by becoming the third-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, sitting only behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years old) and Portugal’s Pepe (39 years old).
