Lionel Messi once again became the centre of attention as Argentina began their World Cup title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria, inspired by a brilliant hat-trick from their captain. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner rolled back the years to produce one of the standout performances of the tournament, scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his career and drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the competition’s joint-highest scorer. With his 39th birthday just days away, Messi showed no signs of slowing down. Sharp, decisive and influential throughout the match, he tormented the Algerian defence and once again demonstrated why he remains the driving force behind the world champions. It was a performance that underlined both his enduring class and Argentina’s ambition to retain the trophy.
Having shared the pitch with Messi at Barcelona and watched his brilliance from close range, Thierry Henry has always held the Argentine captain in the highest regard. After Messi’s stunning World Cup opener against Algeria, Henry once again praised his former teammate, while also praising Argentina as defending champions.
Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry said, “We said before the game that this guy (Messi) and the guy we are going to see tomorrow (Ronaldo) are both on the moon. He reminded us why he is who he is and Argentina also reminded us why they are the holders and let’s not forget about them. But Leo is just different.”
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“Messi is special”
Before the match, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had already made his feelings clear on Lionel Messi’s greatness, describing the Argentina captain as a once-in-a-generation talent and insisting that football may never produce another player like him.
“I don’t believe we will get another Messi, because he’s special,” Ibrahimovic said. “He’s natural. It’s like the game was built for him. Everything he touches becomes gold. And he has a team that is ready to die for him. Him winning another World Cup will not change his status as the greatest. It’s just another trophy in the trophy room.”
After watching Messi deliver a record-breaking hat-trick against Algeria, Ibrahimovic’s admiration only grew stronger. The former Sweden striker said Messi lived up to the expectations and reminded everyone why he remains one of football’s biggest attractions.
“I said it, watch and enjoy and that’s what we did. Today was a day full of stars and they delivered,” Ibrahimovic said on Fox Sports.
