Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo often dominate soccer GOAT debates. The Argentinian captain further strengthened his case by breaking the Portuguese forward's record of being the oldest to record a World Cuphat-trick.
Messi and Argentina debuted in the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, June 16, against Algeria. He put on a show in front of a sold-out Kansas City Stadium crowd by scoring all three goals for his team.
At 38 years and 357 days old, he eclipsed Ronaldo's feat during the tournament's 2018 iteration. The Al-Nassr striker achieved it at 33 years and 130 days.
Argentina is in Group J along with Austria, Jordan, and Algeria. Messi's historic performance pushed his squad to the top of the group standings. Argentina has three points after one game played.
They will return to action on Monday to face Austria and play against Jordan five days later. Both matches will take place at Dallas Stadium.
MORE: Lionel Messi's Place on All-Time World Cup Goals Leaderboard
Meanwhile, Ronaldo and Portugal will debut on Wednesday. They will face the Democratic Republic of Congo before taking on Uzbekistan on Tuesday. Their final group stage match is against Colombia on June 27. All matchups will take place at Miami Stadium.
The goal for both legends is to lead their teams to at least a second-place finish in their groups. If they succeed, they will advance to the knockout stage along with 30 other teams.
Messi and Argentina have the biggest targets on their backs as the defending champions. They captured the 2022 World Cup by defeating Kylian Mbappe and France in a penalty shootout four years ago.
