Messi and Mbappe in One Night - Hat-Trick, Klose Record, Race for 16 Goals
Argentina 3-0, France 3-1. Messi's first World Cup hat-trick at 39. Mbappe's brace and 14th goal. Both chasing the all-time record.
One night at World Cup 2026 - and two generations of football tore up the record books.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe scored like they had something to prove to the world. Spoiler: they did.
Messi: first World Cup hat-trick, 16 goals - level with Klose
Argentina 3-0 Algeria, Kansas City. The world champions started their title defense hard.
- 3 goals for Messi - his first hat-trick at a World Cup (sixth tournament in a row!)
- 16 tournament goals - level with Miroslav Klose, the all-time record
- 39 years old - oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history
- 200th cap for Argentina the same night
- scored at a fifth straight World Cup - like Ronaldo, only the second player ever
- Patrick Mahomes was in the stands - yes, the NFL was watching too
First goal off a Rodrigo De Paul pass. Third from the edge of the box, standing ovation, subbed off. Algeria couldn’t answer: VAR wiped their goal for offside, then it was Leo’s night.
Exactly 20 years ago Messi scored at his World Cup debut in 2006. Now he caught a legend that still felt untouchable yesterday.
Mbappe: brace, France 3-1 Senegal
MetLife, New Jersey. Senegal pressed so hard in the first half it felt like an upset was coming. After the break, Mbappe turned it on.
- 2 goals - his 13th and 14th at World Cups
- passed Gerd Muller (13), closing on Klose’s record
- France 3-1, Senegal scored only in stoppage time
- one goal - a beauty from distance
Mbappe is younger, faster, different style. But that night everyone watched both the same way: who hits 17 World Cup goals first?
Two records, one tournament
| Messi | Mbappe | |
|---|---|---|
| Match | Argentina 3-0 Algeria | France 3-1 Senegal |
| Goals tonight | 3 (hat-trick) | 2 |
| World Cup total | 16 | 14 |
| To Klose record | 1 goal | 2 goals |
Meanwhile Erling Haaland scored twice on debut (Norway 4-1 Iraq) - but the main story was still the two who already ruled the world and aren’t leaving.
Argentina said: we’re champions. France said: we’re not joking. Messi and Mbappe said: we’re still writing history.
Next group games - one question: who becomes the permanent World Cup scoring king?