Argentina vs Algeria Player Ratings

Argentina 3-0 Algeria Player Ratings: Lionel Messi 10/10 Historic Hat-Trick on 200th Cap Ties Klose Record as Argentina Destroy Algeria in World Cup Opener

Mohit Tomar

Published - Jun 17, 2026, 03:00 AM

4 min

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Summary

Argentina launched their World Cup title defence with a dominant 3-0 victory over Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. Messi's extraordinary hat-trick on his 200th cap delivered the most historically significant individual World Cup performance of the tournament's opening week and tied Miroslav Klose as the competition's all-time leading scorer on 16 goals.
Algeria competed with genuine technical quality and creative threat, Chaibi and Maza both impressive throughout, but Messi's devastating individual brilliance, Argentina's collective possession control, and the clinical finishing quality that the reigning world champions possess across every position proved entirely beyond Petkovic's side's ability to contain for a full 90 minutes.
Lionel Messi was the undisputed star at 10/10; his venomous opener, composed rebound second, and curling third completed a first-ever World Cup hat-trick that equalled Klose's all-time record, broke multiple individual tournament milestones, and confirmed that the greatest player in football history is determined to write one final and unforgettable chapter at the 2026 World Cup.

Kansas City Stadium was ready for a moment of history. Lionel Messi, making his record-breaking 200th appearance for the Argentina national football team and becoming the first player in football history to participate in six World Cup editions, delivered the kind of performance that only the greatest player the sport has ever produced could manufacture with such composure, clarity, and devastating brilliance. Two offside goals in the opening eight minutes, one disallowed for each side, set a frenetic and breathless early tone before Messi settled proceedings in the most emphatic possible fashion.

De Paul's perfectly threaded pass split the Algeria national football team's sleeping defence in the 17th minute, and Messi had all the time he needed, dribbling toward the edge of the area, shifting onto his left foot, and whipping a venomous strike into the far corner that left Zidane completely helpless. It was Argentina's 200th goal at the World Cup, scored by their greatest ever player, on his greatest individual occasion, in the city he had chosen to make his American home. The symmetry was almost impossible to believe.

One of the greatest football players ever, Lionel Messi's second goal arrived in the 60th minute, the captain staying alert as Mac Allister's distant shot spilled from Zidane's grasp, side-footing the rebound composedly past the sprawling goalkeeper to move level with Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to score in five consecutive World Cup matches. Eight days shy of his 39th birthday, he had become the oldest player in tournament history to score a brace, and he was not finished.

The hat-trick arrived in the 76th minute, Gonzalez's return pass allowing Messi to inch into position before curling a composed left-footed finish around a diving Zidane into the far corner. At 16 FIFA World Cup goals, he now stands level with Miroslav Klose as the joint-highest scorer in World Cup history, achieved in 29 matches compared to the German's 24, and the record stands within touching distance as Argentina continue their defence of the title they have held since Qatar 2022. Here are Sportsdunia's Argentina vs Algeria player ratings.

Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs Algeria

Here are the Argentina national football team player ratings vs Algeria.

Player Name	Ratings
Emiliano Martínez	6.1
Facundo Medina	7.0
Lisandro Martínez	7.5
Cristian Romero	7.0
Gonzalo Montiel	6.9
Thiago Almada	6.9
Enzo Fernández	7.3
Alexis Mac Allister	7.0
Rodrigo De Paul	8.1
Lautaro Martínez	6.4
Lionel Messi	10

Algeria National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Check out the Algeria national football team player ratings vs Argentina.

Player Name	Ratings
Luca Zidane	6.1
Rayan Aït-Nouri	6.4
Ramy Bensebaini	6.7
Aïssa Mandi	6.7
Rafik Belghali	6.3
Nabil Bentaleb	6.9
Ibrahim Maza	6.6
Hicham Boudaoui	6.7
Farès Chaïbi	7.0
Amine Gouiri	6.0
Anis Hadj Moussa	6.4

Man of the Match

Lionel Messi was Sportsdunia's Man of the Match for his extraordinary hat-trick on his 200th Argentina cap, a historic first-ever World Cup treble that equalled Klose's all-time tournament scoring record of 16 goals across three completely different types of clinical finishing that showcased every dimension of his genius.