After 333 days, Lionel Messi finally returned to his home country. This return was something special, and he made it memorable by scoring a brilliant hat-trick. From start to finish in the match against Bolivia, it was all about 'Messimania.' He scored 3 goals himself and assisted 2 more for his teammates. At the end of the match, Messi received a perfect rating of 10/10. On this day of perfection, Messi also set a new record. With a 6-0 victory, Argentina set their record for the highest number of goals in their World Cup qualifying history.
Along with Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, and Thiago Almada contributed to Argentina's victory. Among them, the goals by Martínez and Álvarez were assisted by Messi. Messi now holds the record for the most goal contributions in football history. Since FIFA's first official match between Scotland and England in 1872, the world of football has crossed 152 years, and today, Messi surpassed all previous records for goal contributions with his performance in the Argentina-Bolivia match.
In his career, Messi has scored 846 goals and provided 377 assists, contributing to a total of 1,223 goals. This is the highest total in official matches. By scoring 3 goals and assisting 2, Messi repeated an event from 15 years ago. The last time a player had a hat-trick and 2 assists in a single CONMEBOL qualifying match was when Joaquín Botero, a Bolivian star, did it against Argentina in 2009.
Interestingly, Messi himself played in that 2009 match in La Paz. After today's game, Messi reflected on that memory but mentioned that he had no thoughts of revenge for that match. Rather, his primary goal now is to enjoy these games towards the end of his career. He also expressed how much he enjoys hearing the crowd chant his name from the stands.
Messi's biggest record of the day came through his hat-trick. This was the 58th hat-trick of his career, and it was his 10th in an Argentina jersey. Messi now shares the record for the most hat-tricks for a national team with none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. The two greats now jointly hold the record for the most hat-tricks in international football.
However, Messi is solely at the top in another record. He became the first player in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying history to score three hat-tricks. The 37-year-old legend achieved this by scoring hat-tricks against Ecuador in 2016, Bolivia in 2021, and once again against Bolivia in 2024, making this record his own.
After 333 days, Lionel Messi finally returned to his home country. This return was something special, and he made it memorable by scoring a brilliant hat-trick. From start to finish in the match against Bolivia, it was all about 'Messimania.' He scored 3 goals himself and assisted 2 more for his teammates. At the end of the match, Messi received a perfect rating of 10/10. On this day of perfection, Messi also set a new record. With a 6-0 victory, Argentina set their record for the highest number of goals in their World Cup qualifying history.
Along with Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez, and Thiago Almada contributed to Argentina's victory. Among them, the goals by Martínez and Álvarez were assisted by Messi. Messi now holds the record for the most goal contributions in football history. Since FIFA's first official match between Scotland and England in 1872, the world of football has crossed 152 years, and today, Messi surpassed all previous records for goal contributions with his performance in the Argentina-Bolivia match.
In his career, Messi has scored 846 goals and provided 377 assists, contributing to a total of 1,223 goals. This is the highest total in official matches. By scoring 3 goals and assisting 2, Messi repeated an event from 15 years ago. The last time a player had a hat-trick and 2 assists in a single CONMEBOL qualifying match was when Joaquín Botero, a Bolivian star, did it against Argentina in 2009.
Interestingly, Messi himself played in that 2009 match in La Paz. After today's game, Messi reflected on that memory but mentioned that he had no thoughts of revenge for that match. Rather, his primary goal now is to enjoy these games towards the end of his career. He also expressed how much he enjoys hearing the crowd chant his name from the stands.
Messi's biggest record of the day came through his hat-trick. This was the 58th hat-trick of his career, and it was his 10th in an Argentina jersey. Messi now shares the record for the most hat-tricks for a national team with none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. The two greats now jointly hold the record for the most hat-tricks in international football.
However, Messi is solely at the top in another record. He became the first player in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying history to score three hat-tricks. The 37-year-old legend achieved this by scoring hat-tricks against Ecuador in 2016, Bolivia in 2021, and once again against Bolivia in 2024, making this record his own.