Lionel Messi is still smashing records - and we've got Inter Miami and MLS to thank

Analysis

Suraj Radia | Editor

Lionel Messi rolled back the years with a historic hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s first match of the 2026 World Cup, emphasising just how effective Inter Miami and the MLS have been in prolonging the 38-year-old’s legendary career.

Messi broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record to become the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup and take his all-time goalscoring tally in the competition to 16, which is the joint-most alongside Miroslav Klose.

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With his first-ever World Cup hat-trick arriving in his 200th cap, Messi became the first player to feature in six editions of the tournament, and the forward, who will turn 39 next week, shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, he is ramping up on the back of his most productive season in nearly a decade.

The former Barcelona star was visibly emotional after scoring his first goal. He told ESPN after the match: “I never imagined everything I've achieved, both as a team and individually. It's so much more than I could have imagined as a kid. I've been through some tough days...

" I'm enjoying this, I feel great and happy on the pitch. I love playing football, it's been my passion since I was little and I always give my all. We're watching a Rafa Nadal series right now and I feel like him, in that sense, of giving everything and enjoying what you do.

"I felt good, I prepared myself as best I could physically, to be on par with my teammates… A seventh World Cup? (Laughs) No, I don't know...now I enjoy being on the pitch. I like to compete, to be up to the task.”

Lionel Messi perfectly primed to add another layer of greatness to his illustrious career

The performance saw Messi brush off any doubts over his fitness or injury, having been substituted off in Inter Miami’s final match before the World Cup at the end of May with muscle soreness and a mild hamstring strain.

And it appears the short rest was the perfect medicine for Messi as he put in an all-round elite display for Argentina, with his heat map highlighting a rare performance that saw the superstar cover all areas of the pitch and tracking back to support his teammates defensively.

It has long been accepted that a player of Messi’s age and quality is most effective when you allow him to freely roam in the attacking third, irrespective of tactical instruction or pressing responsibilities.

It is a system that Inter Miami have thrived with, with Messi netting 43 times in all competitions for his club last season – the most he’s scored since one campaign since 2019 – as he led his side to success with their first ever MLS Cup victory.

Messi also played in 2421 minutes of league action last season, the second-least since he was a 19-year-old for Barcelona in 2006/07, which indicates that Inter Miami have been able to manage his fitness effectively to preserve their talisman for the big moments.

Crucially, Messi appears to have struck the perfect balance of rest and rhythm going into the 2026 World Cup, with the veteran enjoying nearly three months away from club football after Inter Miami’s title win in December before beginning his new season in late February.

Meanwhile, some European-based players will have played more than two years of football with no more than a two- or three-week rest on the back of Euro 2024 and the Club World Cup last summer before an intense season which only wrapped up in the last month.

A freshly rested Messi came into the tournament having scored 13 times in 16 games for Inter Miami during the 2026 season, while the tournament being held in North America means the travel time has been fairly minimal for the Argentine star.

Consequently, everything is coming together for Messi in a potential swansong for the superstar, with form, fitness and history all aligning to make this World Cup perhaps even more legendary than the 2022 edition if Argentina can defend their title this summer.

“Everything that comes next is for me to enjoy; I want to keep competing,” Messi said. “In Miami, I never stopped pushing myself, wanting more, giving my all, and feeling good both mentally and physically.

“Do I know there are only two two-time World Cup champions? Yes, but we have to keep going like this, give everything for the team, and we'll see.”