Messi Joins Klose at the Top of World Cup Scoring Chart After Algeria Hat Trick
- Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria to move level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals
- The Argentina captain surpassed Ronaldo Nazario and continued his battle with Kylian Mbappé for the scoring record
- Messi also reached 200 Argentina appearances and became the first player to play at six World Cups
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Lionel Messi moved level with Miroslav Klose as the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer after scoring a hat-trick against Algeria, while also surpassing Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario in the process.
The Argentina captain delivered another unforgettable performance on football’s biggest stage, taking his World Cup goal tally to 16 and adding another historic achievement to his extraordinary international career.
Messi’s latest heroics not only helped Argentina begin their tournament with a convincing victory but also brought him closer to becoming the outright holder of one of the most prestigious records in World Cup history.
Source: Getty Images
Messi matches Klose and moves ahead of Ronaldo
Messi entered Argentina’s opening match against Algeria knowing he was approaching several major World Cup milestones.
By the end of the night, he had achieved almost all of them.
The Argentina captain scored all three goals in a 3-0 victory, moving beyond Ronaldo Nazario’s previous tally of 15 goals and matching Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals.
Messi opened the scoring with one of his trademark finishes, curling a stunning effort from outside the box after being played in by Rodrigo De Paul.
His second goal saw him move ahead of Ronaldo’s record, before he completed his hat-trick to join Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring rankings.
The performance was another reminder of Messi’s remarkable longevity and quality as Argentina started their campaign in impressive fashion.
Messi and Mbappé battle for World Cup history
The race to become the outright leading scorer in World Cup history has now become one of the biggest storylines of the tournament.
Messi currently shares the record with Klose on 16 goals.
However, France forward Kylian Mbappé remains firmly in the race after reaching 14 World Cup goals earlier in the competition.
Mbappé had briefly moved ahead of Messi in the all-time rankings after scoring twice for France, but Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria changed the standings once again.
The Argentina captain also reached two more historic milestones during the match.
He made his 200th appearance for Argentina and became the first player to feature at six different FIFA World Cups.
With Argentina still having more matches to play and Mbappé continuing to score for France, the battle for World Cup scoring immortality is far from decided.
Source: YEN.com.gh
