Lionel Messi Rewrites Football History Books in Milestone 200th Appearance for Argentina
Making a record-shattering sixth World Cup appearance, the Argentine skipper equals the all-time tournament goals record held by Germany's Miroslav Klose.
Lionel Messi turned his milestone 200th international appearance into an unforgettable masterclass by breaking multiple football records against Algeria. By starting the match, Messi officially became the first player to feature in six different World Cup tournaments. His first-half opener made him only the second male player in history—after Cristiano Ronaldo—to score in five different World Cup editions. Furthermore, the historic hat-trick took his total World Cup goal tally to 16, tying him with legendary German striker Miroslav Klose as the tournament's joint all-time top scorer. Unlike their shaky start in 2022 where they lost to Saudi Arabia, La Albiceleste have firmly asserted their dominance early this time.