By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Lionel Messi once again proved why he remains one of football’s greatest icons, producing a sensational hat-trick as Argentina opened their World Cup campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City.
Messi also became the World Cup’s joint top all-time scorer equalling the 16 goals record of German football great Miroslav Klose. A week before his birthday, Messi became the oldest players in the World Cup to score a hat-trick breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 33 years and 130 days.
Making his 200th international appearance for Argentina, the 38-year-old superstar stole the spotlight on a day that had already seen some of football’s biggest names make headlines.
Earlier, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland had each scored twice, but it was Messi who delivered the standout performance.
The Argentine captain created history by becoming the first player to feature in six FIFA World Cups, surpassing long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s record by a day. Marking his 200th international appearance, Messi also scored his 16th World Cup goal, equalling another tournament record while registering the first World Cup hat-trick of his illustrious career.
Two decades after making his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old at Germany 2006, Messi looked as influential as ever. He opened the scoring in the first half and, despite a brief scare after his studs caught the heel of Algeria defender Aissa Mandi, continued to dominate proceedings. No action was taken over the incident, and Messi went on to complete his memorable treble.
Speaking after the match, Messi described the occasion as a special moment. “To enjoy this with my family, my team-mates and the fans is really beautiful,” he said. “Everything I’m experiencing now is a bonus. I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams and even more than I ever imagined.”
Kylian Mbappe became France’s all-time leading goalscorer with a superb double as Les Bleus beat Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup opener in New Jersey.
Mbappe broke Senegal’s resistance in the second half with a low strike before rifling home a sensational long-range effort deep into stoppage time.
The Real Madrid forward’s second strike lifted him on to 58 goals for Les Bleus – one clear of former record holder Olivier Giroud.