Lionel Messi broke his silence after scoring his first World Cup hat-trick against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16.
The soccer G.O.A.T. opened up about why he broke into tears during his stunning hat-trick moment that tied him with Miroslab Klose.
Messi’s hat-trick led Argentina to take 3-0 win over Algeria in the opener of World Cup 2026.
The emotional moment came when other Argentine players scattered; Messi was then seen wiping away tears on his jersey before play resumed.
Messi opened his scoring sheet in the 17th-minute with a stunning strike from just outside the penalty area.
The 38-year-old Argentine icon explained the emotion has nothing to do with on-pitch exploits.
“Honestly, completely unrelated to the sport, I went through some difficult, complicated days,” said Messi in a postgame interview.
“I’m grateful to the entire delegation, to my teammates. They were always there for me, as always.
“They gave me a lot of strength to get through this, and that’s all.”
The battle for the golden boot has just begun, with Messi and Mbappe eye-to-eye now.
Messi will have an opportunity in hand on Monday, June 22, when Argentina clashes with Austria.
2026-06-17 17:31:00
