Lionel Messi said it was an “honor” to equal the record for goals in World Cups after scoring the hat-trick that gave Argentina a 3-0 victory over Algeria this Tuesday (16), but pointed out that, in the end, “they are statistics and nothing more”.
“It’s an honor because of what it means to be alongside Klose and those who are there, Ronaldo is there too, but I don’t think it means much. Mbappé also scored two goals today. In the end, these are statistics and nothing more,” the Argentine number 10 told reporters.
The star also praised Ronaldo Fenômeno after surpassing him in goals. “Although I’m proud to compete with them all, it doesn’t mean anything to me. Ronaldo, of those I saw, was one of the greatest and he’s not the first [artilheiro em Copas]. So these are just statistics”, he summarized.
Upon entering the field, the Argentine idol became the first player to play in six World Cups on the same night that he overtook German Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in the tournament’s history, with 16 goals.
Messi also stated after the match that he cried when celebrating his first goal because he had faced “difficult days”.
“Why did I cry? For something unrelated to football. I had some difficult days,” he said. “But I’m grateful to the delegation and my teammates, because they always supported me and gave me strength to overcome this. [os probelmas].”
Just days away from turning 39, Messi is on track to continue breaking records in a World Cup whose objective is to lead Argentina to its fourth title, achieving an unprecedented second consecutive title for the country.
