Lionel Messi is now the youngest and oldest Argentina national team player to score at a World Cup.
Messi had three goals for Argentina in their 3-0 win against Algeria to make him Argentina’s oldest player to ever score a World Cup goal. He is also the youngest player to ever score a goal at a World Cup with the Argentina national team.
On June 16, 2006, Lionel Messi played in his first World Cup match with the Argentina national team against Serbia and Montenegro. In his first World Cup match, he scored his first World Cup goal to become the youngest Argentine to score at a World Cup at 18 years of age.
Twenty years later, on June 16, 2026, Lionel Messi scored his first ever hat trick at a World Cup in the win against Algeria. At 38 years of age, he is the oldest Argentina national team player to score at the tournament.


