Forget the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate - there simply isn't one to be had. Lionel Messi announced his arrival at the 2026 World Cup by leading the holders, Argentina, to a 3-0 win over Algeria, scoring a hat-trick in the process to become the competition's all-time joint leading goalscorer with another virtuoso display.
Cristiano Ronaldo kicks off his World Cup 2026 campaign after seeing his long-time rival net a hat-trick in his opening game. He continues to move the needle like no other footballer has ever done before. In his latest broadcast to the world, Lionel Messi amped it up in Kansas to remind us all of the bleeding obvious. That he remains the GOAT.
Thierry Henry knows a thing or two about what makes a special footballer. But the French legend was left speechless, after watching Messi rip through poor Algeria like one of those twisters the Argentine's World Cup base is famous for. "I don't know what to say anymore," he said, "what is left to say?" The simple answer is nothing, mate.
Which is fine, but it still won't fill these pages when attempting to sum up the contribution Messi continues to make to the ones belonging to sporting history. In decades to come, perhaps even centuries, who knows, his name will remain etched into footballing folklore. If the sport had its own equivalent of Mount Rushmore, Messi's face would be carved from gold and looking down from above on Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Forget the debate about Messi and Ronaldo. There isn't one to be had. Messi sits above Ronaldo and the rest, having scaled a level of genius which remains unprecedented. When the footballing gods created Messi, they certainly took their time to come up with someone unique.
In the 'Flying Saucer' bar & grill in downtown Houston, hundreds sat glued to the television screens watching another performance that felt out of this world. You had to feel sorry for the poor bloke attempting to conduct the weekly general knowledge quiz. And when Messi was substituted off, having helped himself to the first hat-trick of his World Cup career, the place half emptied.
Americans prefer baseball, basketball and the NFL. Football, sorry 'soccer', remains an afterthought. But it didn't last night. And this is what Messi does. He dictates and controls peoples' love of the most popular sport on the planet. It's a precious and rare gift, bestowed on the chosen few.
Before Messi decided to wave that wand of a left foot again and mesmerise some helpless Algerians with pure magic, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland had made their own statements at this World Cup. Then Messi ripped both of them up.
He could have retired in 2022 when he led Argentina to World Cup glory. He had finally written his own footballing epitaph. But Messi chose not to. He still had the hunger and desire to add more layers to his remarkable legacy. If that was even possible. Which he has taken just one game of this tournament to do. Messi now has 16 World Cup goals, equalling an all-time record which he is now expected to blitz.
His hat-trick even arrived on the very same day that he notched his first goal on this same stage, two decades ago. No Hollywood script writer could make it up. But believe it, because Messi continues to turn fantasy football into reality.
When Maradona scored 'that' goal in Mexico in 1986 to take down England on his own, Steve Hodge swapped shirts with him at the final whistle. The item was sold at auction for almost $10m. But any rival fortunate enough to get their hands on one belonging to Messi will know it will be priceless.
He will turn 39 next week. But all those millions around the world watching him in wonderment right now, must feel like it's their birthday every time he pulls on a pair of boots.
