Lionel Messi added another remarkable chapter to his international career on Tuesday as he took the field for Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. Four years after inspiring Argentina to a dramatic World Cup triumph over France in Qatar, the 38-year-old became the first men's footballer to appear at six FIFA World Cups.
The appearance brought with it a series of milestones. Messi became only the third player in men's international football to reach 200 caps, while also surpassing Paolo Maldini's record of 23 consecutive World Cup appearances, making his 24th straight appearance on football's biggest stage.
The diminutive magician marked the occasion with a stunning long-range strike, unlocking yet another World Cup milestone as he joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in five different editions of the tournament. The strike also extended Messi's record World Cup goal contribution tally to 22, two more than the legendary Pele.
Messi's goal also means he is now both Argentina's youngest and oldest goalscorer at the World Cup.
Here's the moment Messi walked onto the pitch to become the first player to appear in six World Cup tournaments, a feat Cristiano Ronaldo is also expected to achieve when Portugal begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.
Back on the big stage. 🇦🇷✨
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2026
Find out where to watch. ⬇️ #FIFAWorldCup
The evening nearly began with a goal for Messi inside the opening minutes. Lautaro Martinez slipped a clever pass into the penalty area, where Messi calmly curled it past Luca Zidane. The celebrations, however, were short-lived as the assistant referee's flag went up. Replays showed Messi had strayed offside by the narrowest of margins.
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Algeria thought they had produced an opener of their own moments later. Ibrahim Maza burst through midfield before releasing Farid El Melali Chaibi, who curled a superb first-time effort into the net. But after a VAR review, the goal was also disallowed for offside, with replays showing Chaibi was similarly denied by the slimmest of margins.
With both sides left frustrated by marginal calls, Messi ensured there would be no debate about his next contribution.
Receiving the ball near the halfway line, Messi surged through the centre of the pitch before unleashing a thunderous strike from distance. The ball whizzed past the fingertips of goalkeeper Luca Zidane before crashing into the top corner to give Argentina the lead in the 17th minute.
Here's a look at Messi's stunning strike that put Argentina ahead against Algeria.
🤗 ¡MESSI ROMPE LAS REDES!
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 17, 2026
🇦🇷 Messi recibe un gran pase de Rodri De Paul y anota su gol 14 en Mundiales y 117 con Argentina.
📺 Sigue toda la cobertura de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 por Telemundo y Peacock#MundialTelemundo #Somos26 #FIFAWorldCup #Argentina… pic.twitter.com/cCUKmV57Ac
At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi is now the third-oldest player to score in World Cup history and moved level with Gerd Muller and Kylian Mbappe on 14 World Cup goals, trailing only Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo Nazario on the all-time scorers list.
Messi's World Cup journey began as an 18-year-old prodigy at Germany 2006, where he announced himself with a goal against Serbia and Montenegro. Since then, he has experienced quarter-final heartbreaks in 2006 and 2010, the agony of defeat in the 2014 final, and a turbulent exit in 2018 before finally lifting the trophy in Qatar in 2022.
That triumph against France completed the one major achievement that had eluded him throughout his career. It also capped a remarkable late-career resurgence with Argentina, during which he led the national team to Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024 and the Finalissima crown in 2022.
Across 200 international appearances, Messi has scored 118 goals for Argentina, making him the country's all-time leading scorer and one of the most decorated players in football history. He remains the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball twice, claiming the award both in 2014 and 2022.
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