📹 Argentina cruise through Copa opener, Messi SMASHING records

📹 Argentina cruise through Copa opener, Messi SMASHING records Those who stayed up late watching it went to bed a little earlier, and with a "foggy head." After all, Argentina opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria this Tuesday (16) in a Group J match. But for those who put the South American rivalry aside for a moment, they witnessed yet another Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini masterclass on the pitch. Still in the first half, the Barcelona idol and current Inter Miami star had a goal disallowed, but opened the scoring before the 20-minute mark. With that, Messi reached several historic milestones, such as surpassing King Pelé in goal involvements and goals at World Cups, and matching Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in five different World Cups. To see Messi's "collection" of records, click here ! After the break, the Argentine star grabbed his brace with a little "help" from Luca Zidane - yes, the son of the French legend and Real Madrid icon. Finally, Messi completed his hat-trick to make history: the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals. Click here ! Now, at 38 years and 357 days old, Messi has become the oldest player in World Cup history to score three goals in a single match.  In this way, Messi SMASHED seven World Cup records! Six goals from outside the box Most goal involvements: 24 G/A Only player to play in 6 different World Cup editions Only player (alongside CR7) to score in 5 different World Cups Top scorer in World Cup history (16 goals) Oldest player to score three goals in a World Cup match Player with the most matches in World Cup history (27 games) 🚦 Standings Argentina top Group J with three points. La Albiceleste return to action next Monday (22), when they face Austria, and close out the first phase against Jordan on Saturday (27). This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.