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World Cupdate: Old guy nets hat trickBack in 2022, Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat Kylian Mbappe’s France in a shootout to win the World Cup. It was a torch passed from Messi, then 35, to Mbappe, nearly 24. Messi scored twice; Mbappe three times. Storyline wrapped up, right? Mbappe is here in this World Cup, four years older, still looking incredible. He scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal yesterday. He’s building a case as the best World Cup player to ever live, already. Except Messi is still here, too. Wait, what?
Messi scored three times in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria last night, looking crisp as ever at 38 years old. It makes you wonder if the Inter Miami star could still be doing this in Europe consistently. Just watch his best goal of the evening:
MESSI SCORES FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX 🚀
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 17, 2026Lord. It’s Messi’s first World Cup hat trick and ties him as the leading scorer in World Cup history. A 38-year-old posting a hat trick during his sixth World Cup. Sure, man. Anyway. Mbappe deserves plenty of plaudits for his performance, too. Just look at this stoppage-time stunner that put the match out of reach for good:
