2026 FIFA WC: ‘Don’t have to be an Argentina fan to admire him’, Scaloni marvels at Messi after record-breaking hat-trick

Kansas City, June 17 (IANS) Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi still amazes his teammates after the captain scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria in their World Cup Group J opener on Tuesday.

With a spectacular hat-trick against Algeria, Messi also equalled Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history (16), surpassing Brazilian legend Ronaldo (15) to become the highest-scoring South American at the global showpiece.

“It’s hard to explain. We’re still amazed by him, even though we see him every day. He’s been the best for 20 years, and he still delivers in every match. You don’t have to be an Argentina fan to admire what he’s done at his age,” Scaloni told reporters after the match, as per a report in Xinhua.

Scaloni said Messi’s influence extended beyond his performances on the pitch, creating a unique atmosphere around the squad.

“I could stay here talking about him for an hour, but you have to be there to understand the atmosphere he creates,” Scaloni said. “One day it [his career] will come to an end, so we have to enjoy it while we can,” he added.

Additionally, at 38 years and 357 days old, Messi has become the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history. He broke the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who was 33 years and 130 days old when he scored a treble against Spain in 2018.

Messi is the first footballer in history to play in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to share this record later on Wednesday. Previously, the record was co-owned by Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthäus, Rafa Márquez, and Andrés Guardado.

The coach also praised his team’s adaptability after Algeria’s high intensity troubled Argentina in the first half. “Algeria caused us problems today,” Scaloni said. “They counterattacked, and we had to do the same. That’s not usually our trademark, but we managed to do it and come through.”

Scaloni warned against complacency despite Argentina’s convincing start to the tournament.

The Albiceleste will meet Austria at Dallas Stadium on Monday and Jordan at the same venue on June 27. “This team knows that anyone can beat us,” he said. “If we do what we have to do and play the way we did today, it will be difficult for other teams to beat us,” he concluded.

–IANS

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