Messi Explains Emotional Celebration After Argentina World Cup Hat-Trick

Lionel Messi revealed his emotional celebration against Algeria was linked to difficult days away from football after inspiring Argentina to a 3-0 win in their World Cup opener.

The Argentina captain scored a hat-trick as Lionel Scaloni’s side opened their campaign with a win that looked comfortable by the final whistle, though the match itself was far from straightforward.

Messi’s first goal sparked a clear emotional reaction, the 38-year-old visibly moved as he celebrated. After the match, he was asked about the tears, and made it clear they had nothing to do with the game itself.

“It was something totally unrelated to sport,” Messi said to FIFA's media team following the match.

“I had some difficult, complicated days. I’m grateful to the whole delegation, to all my teammates, because they were always by my side, as always, giving me a lot of strength.”

Messi kept the details private, but what stood out was how much the support around him mattered heading into another big World Cup night in an Argentina shirt.

The forward was also asked about having a street named after him in New Jersey, a tribute he said he never imagined when he was growing up.

“I didn’t imagine that, or everything I’ve been able to live,” Messi said.

“I was lucky to achieve all my dreams, and even more than I could have imagined, individually and as a group. Today I’m enjoying this, enjoying a beautiful group and feeling good enough to enjoy it on the pitch, as I always liked.”

Messi is still breaking records and making World Cup history, but after the game, his focus was on enjoyment, hunger, and the people around him, not just the milestones.

When asked about his first World Cup hat-trick, Messi was quick to shift the focus back to the challenge Argentina faced.

“We knew it was going to be a complicated match,” Messi said. “They have very good players, they are dynamic and intense.

“It is normal. The first matches of an official competition, and especially a World Cup, are always difficult. We had the experience of the last one as well, and you can see in this World Cup that nobody gives you anything.”

He pointed out that the tournament already looks very competitive and physically demanding, with every team organised and capable of causing problems.

Messi was then asked where he finds the appetite to keep competing at this level after winning everything in the game.

“I like playing football,” he said. “It has been my passion since I was a kid, and when I feel good like this, I give my maximum.”

Messi also played down the importance of moving alongside some of the biggest names in World Cup scoring history, his hat-trick against Algeria bringing him equal with Miroslav Klose who holds the record of most goals scored at World Cup tournaments.

“It’s an honour, obviously, to be there because of what it means to be alongside Klose, and Ronaldo is there as well, and Mbappe scored two today. But in the end it is statistics and nothing more. It is a source of pride to be able to compete with all of them, but it means nothing. For me, Ronaldo, from what I saw, was one of the greatest, and he is not first, so it stays only as a statistic.”

For Argentina, the numbers only tell part of the story. At 38, Messi is still deciding World Cup matches and still able to change the mood of a game in an instant.

But his post-match words pointed to something more personal. After a tough few days, he leaned on the Argentina group, returned to the pitch, and delivered another performance that will live long in tournament memory.

Argentina have their opening win. Messi has his hat-trick. Listening to him afterwards, it was clear both meant more than just another line in the record books.