Lionel Messi, already acknowledged as the greatest footballer to ever play the game, wrote another chapter of his legacy earlier this morning (night in US where the game took place). The diminutive Argentinian scored his first ever World Cup hattrick as Argentina blew away Algeria 3-0 thanks to Messi’s heroics.
With these 3 goals, Messi has now equaled German forward Miroslav Klose as the player with the most number of goals at Football’s premier event.
Messi, who turns 39 on June 24, started his scoring with a goal that has become so typical of the great man over the years. He picked the ball up, ran at Algerian defense, and then unleashed a trademark left footed curler, which was too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of French legend Zinedine Zidane.
The second goal was fairly straight forward as Messi latched on to a rebound following Zidane’s spill and tapped the ball in. The historic 3rd, which ensured Messi’s first World Cup hattrick, and pulled him level with Klose was another goal we have become used to see from Messi. A thunderous left foot strike from the edge of the box ending up in the back of the net.
This was a remarkable way for Messi to mark his 200th appearance for Argentina. The maestro now has scored 120 goals for la albiceleste in international football.
Argentina are aiming to be the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup, and with Messi in this sort of form, who knows, maybe it will happen again after 64 years.
