1 of 6 | Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his second goal against Algeria in the second half of a FIFA World Cup match Tuesday at Kansas City Stadium. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
June 17 (UPI) -- Lionel Messi's tears of gratitude after his first goal in Argentina's group stage opener were a sign of things to come, as he went on to score twice more against Algeria to tie Miroslav Klose's record for the most goals in World Cup history.
Messi, who also became the first player to compete in six World Cups, found the net in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes of the 3-0 triumph Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. He entered the match tied with Just Fontaine for the fifth-most goals in World Cup history.
With his hat trick, he passed Kylian Mbappe, Gerd Muller and Ronaldo on the tournament's all-time scoring list. Mbappe, who scored twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal on Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J., is tied for fourth with 14 goals.
"It's an honor to compete with them, but it doesn't mean anything," Messi told reporters. "For me, Ronaldo, who I watched and is one of the greats, is not at the top.
