Historic night for the World Cup: Messi (hat-trick at almost 39 years old) becomes the most prolific scorer ever in a final phase while Mbappé and Haaland present themselves with a brace.
Night of bomber jackets and businesses that reshape world history, with Leo Messi And Kylian Mbappe walking in the garden of the greatest ever ed Erling Haaland who presents the credentials of a ruthless scorer in his first time in the final phase of the World Cup. Mark the date on your calendar: June 16, 2026. Nothing will be the same again even if we are only at the beginning of the American World Cup and the feeling is that we will hear about all three until late July, when the challenges will become decisive to take (or keep) the status of world champion.
Messi he wrote history and even beyond by demolishing Algeria with a hat-trick which, in the albiceleste jersey, he hadn’t done since 2024 when he knocked out Bolivia during the qualifiers. Three goals that gave Argentina a dream debut and placed him alongside Miro Klose in the ranking of the most prolific scorers of all time in a World Cup with 16 goals. A milestone reached in the debut match of the sixth participation, in response to Mbappé who only a few hours earlier had settled on the same podium by scoring a brace against Senegal.
The Argentine champion has arrived in the States in great shape and does not look like the player who has been wintering in the heat of Miami for a few seasons in a rich football but with less technical and competitive content than the European one. Two goals from distance and one steal, taking advantage of Luca Zidane’s less than happy evening, Zizou’s son who defended the Algerian goal as best he could. At almost 39 years old (he turns 24 June), Messi also becomes the oldest striker ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match and beats Cristiano Ronaldo, the eternal enemy, who achieved it against Spain in 2022 at the age of 37 and who is now expected to respond in this “Last dance” of champions who have marked the last twenty years of football.
Mbappé he had presented himself shortly before, dragging France against Senegal in a two-sided match for the vice world champions: the first part was difficult, the final was overwhelming in which the Real Madrid striker showed off all the best of his repertoire. Time is on his side. The brace scored in New York took him to 14 goals in the world, alongside a legend like Gerd Muller and following in the wake of Klose and Ronaldo, the phenomenon before Messi surpassed everyone. Born in 1998, KM is still a kid compared to his rival even if he has an incredible score because he participated in two final phases of the World Cup, winning in Russia in 2018 (4 goals in 7 appearances) and losing the final on penalties against Argentina at Qatar 2022 (8 goals in 7 games). Total: 14 markings in 15 tokens. A monster.
Finally the hurricane Haaland which hit Iraq leaving no escape. The man who never makes mistakes and who averages almost a goal per game (317 in 398 with club shirts and 57 in 51 with the national team) is one of the most eagerly awaited in the States. He is at the center of a Norway of talents who took the world championship passport by beating Italy in the playoff and then a fatal result against Bosnia, not a title-winning national team but not even a meteor destined not to leave its mark. In Boston he scored the first world championship double of his career, just to not lose his habit after going through the qualifiers as top scorer with 16 centers in 8 appearances. A goal machine.
