Nigeria’s Super Eagles have lost an unwanted place in Lionel Messi’s record books after the Argentina captain delivered a stunning hat-trick in his side’s 3-0 victory over Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Footynaija reports.
The Argentine superstar was the difference-maker in Kansas City as the reigning champions opened their campaign with a comfortable win. In doing so, Messi also changed the rankings of the African teams he has scored against most often.
Before the game, Nigeria held that distinction, with another curious record still running. Messi had found the net three times against the Super Eagles across four meetings, all linked to World Cup encounters. However, his latest three-goal haul took his tally against Algeria to five goals in just two matches, pushing the North Africans above Nigeria on the list.
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Messi’s night nearly began with an early goal, but a fifth-minute strike was ruled out for offside after a VAR review. He eventually broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, curling a superb effort beyond goalkeeper Luca Zidane from outside the penalty area.
The 38-year-old doubled Argentina’s lead shortly after the hour mark when he pounced on a rebound following Alexis Mac Allister’s long-range effort. He then completed the first World Cup hat-trick of his career in the 76th minute with a trademark left-footed finish after a slick exchange of passes.
The performance also brought several personal milestones. Messi moved level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals and became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick.
While Nigeria are not participating in the 2026 World Cup, Messi’s historic display ensured the Super Eagles surrendered a poor record to Algeria.
