The World Cup's sixth day saw three of soccer's biggest stars—Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland—deliver remarkable performances in their respective opening matches. Mbappé, playing for France, scored two goals in their 3-1 victory over Senegal. Erling Haaland also netted two goals for Norway in their 4-1 win against Iraq, marking his debut in a major international tournament.
However, it was Lionel Messi who stole the spotlight with a hat trick for Argentina in their 3-0 win against Algeria. This spectacular performance allowed the 38-year-old Messi to tie Germany's Miroslav Klose for the men's all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 goals across six World Cup appearances. This hat trick was Messi's first in a World Cup and his 61st overall in his career.
Messi's achievement is particularly notable as it came despite recent concerns about a minor hamstring injury he had been managing with Inter Miami. He demonstrated that he fully recovered, scoring an emotional first goal, an opportunistic rebound for his second, and a crisp strike for his third before being substituted to a standing ovation from the crowd of 69,045. His international appearance against Algeria marked his 200th for Argentina, placing him among the most capped male international players.
Mbappé's two goals against Senegal moved him into a tie for fourth on the men's World Cup goals list with 14 goals. Haaland, who is playing in his first major international tournament, answered the long wait by scoring two goals on his World Cup debut. Despite the impressive displays from the younger stars, Messi's record-tying hat trick underscored his continued dominance even at 38 years old, proving that he remains a formidable force in international football.
