God of football sheds a tear: Leo Messi’s heroics followed by emotional gesture at Argentina’s title defence opener

Lionel Messi once again delivered on the biggest stage, scoring a hat-trick as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, it was his emotional reaction after the first goal that caught the attention of fans around the world.

The Argentina captain was seen wiping away tears moments after finding the net, leading to widespread speculation about the reason behind the emotional celebration. Later, Messi clarified that the moment was connected to difficulties in his personal life rather than anything that happened on the pitch.

Tears after a moment of brilliance

Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a stunning long-range strike that left the opposition goalkeeper with little chance. As teammates and supporters celebrated, cameras captured the 38-year-old appearing emotional.

After the match, Messi addressed the incident and confirmed that his tears were unrelated to football, “I cried after the first goal, yes… But it was something completely unrelated to football,” he said. He went on to explain that he had been dealing with personal challenges in recent days.

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“Honestly, completely unrelated to the sport, I went through some difficult, complicated days,” Messi said. “I’m grateful to the entire delegation, to my teammates. They were always there for me, as always. They gave me a lot of strength to get through this, and that’s all.”

Historic night for Argentina’s captain

While the emotional celebration became a major talking point, Messi’s performance was equally remarkable. The Inter Miami forward went on to score two more goals, completing the first World Cup hat-trick of his career and guiding Argentina to a comfortable victory.

The feat also saw him draw level with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in men’s World Cup history. Yet Messi remained characteristically modest when asked about the achievement.

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“Honestly, no,” he said when questioned about the significance of the record. “It’s an honour to be there because of what it means to be there next to Klose, Ronaldo is there too, but I don’t think it means anything.”

Focus shifts to title defence

Messi’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain following a hamstring injury and months of speculation over whether he would feature at the World Cup. He has now returned to lead Argentina’s title defence and made an immediate impact.

With three goals already to his name and Argentina off to a winning start, attention now turns to the defending champions’ next challenge as they continue their World Cup campaign.