Lionel Messi broke his silence after scoring his first World Cup hat-trick against Algeria on Tuesday 16 June.
The football goat opened up about why he broke down in tears during his stunning hat-trick moment that tied him with Miroslab Klose.
Messi’s hat-trick led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in the 2026 World Cup opener.
The emotional moment came as other Argentine players scattered; Messi was then seen wiping away tears on his shirt before play resumed.
Messi opened his scoring in the 17th minute with a stunning strike from just outside the penalty area.
The 38-year-old Argentine icon explained that the emotions have nothing to do with exploits on the pitch.
“Honestly, completely unrelated to the sport, I went through some difficult, complicated days,” Messi said in a post-match interview.
“I am grateful to the whole delegation, to my teammates. They were always there for me, as always.
“They gave me a lot of strength to get through this and that’s all.”
The battle for the Golden Boot has just begun, with Messi and Mbappe eye-to-eye now.
Messi will have an opportunity in hand on Monday, June 22, when Argentina clash with Austria.
