Lionel Messi added a new page to his legend against Algeria. And not only because the Argentinian has joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the very closed circle of players with at least 200 caps under his belt, officially participating in his sixth World Cup.
The former Barcelona player especially celebrated this 200e cape with a hat-trick. After opening the score shortly after the quarter of an hour of play with a magnificent long-range strike, the native of Rosario doubled the lead shortly after returning from the locker room by taking advantage of a ball poorly repelled by Luca Zidane then completed his recital with a new shot from twenty meters which left the Algerian goalkeeper helpless.
The Argentine captain could smile again. Because by his own admission, these last few days have been difficult for the Inter Miami player. This was due to personal problems which disrupted his preparation for this first match against Algeria and which caused him to shed a few tears after opening the score.
“I went through some difficult days”
“I cried after the first goal, yes. It was something completely unrelated to football. I went through difficult days, but I am grateful to the whole delegation and my teammates because they have always been by my side, giving me a lot of strength,” he explained in the mixed zone.
And Lionel Messi is not the only one who cried. The same was true of Lionel Scaloni, who was full of praise for his captain after the match. “I really don’t have words to describe Leo’s class. He is extraordinary. He’s been doing this kind of thing for 20 years. All football fans want to see him play and savor these moments”he confided about it.
