Erling Haaland Calls Messi ‘A Madman’ After Argentine Legend Scores Hat-Trick to Equal Klose’s World Cup Record

Lionel Messi delivered one of the most milestone-laden performances of his storied international career on June 17, 2026, as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening fixture in Kansas City, with the Argentine captain scoring all three goals.

The hat-trick took Messi’s career World Cup goals tally to 16, drawing him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the joint all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Klose’s record, set across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014, had stood unchallenged for over a decade.

The evening in Kansas City also produced a series of additional milestones for the 38-year-old. Messi became the first player in the history of the competition to appear at six different FIFA World Cup tournaments, having previously featured in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022, where he led Argentina to the title. The match against Algeria also marked his 200th international cap for Argentina, and the goals made him simultaneously the youngest and oldest scorer in Argentina’s World Cup history.

The performance attracted widespread attention across the football world, including from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Norwegian posted a reaction on Snapchat that read simply: “Messi is a madman.” Romano shared the post on his verified X account on June 17, 2026.

Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as defending champions, having won the Qatar 2022 edition in dramatic fashion on penalties against France. Their opening victory over Algeria reinforces their status as one of the tournament favourites, with Messi showing no sign of diminished capacity despite his age. The match also continued a remarkable pattern — Messi has now scored in each of his six World Cup appearances at group stage level.

The defending champions are scheduled to return to action on Monday when they face Austria in their second Group Stage fixture, with Argentina looking to build on their clinical opening result and maintain momentum in what is widely expected to be Messi’s final World Cup campaign.

Haaland’s reaction, though brief, underscores the broader recognition within the global football community of the scale of what Messi continues to achieve. The Norwegian, himself one of the sport’s most prolific active goalscorers, has scored over 50 international goals for Norway and remains one of the few players whose goal-scoring metrics are consistently drawn into comparison with Messi’s.

With 16 World Cup goals now to his name, Messi stands at the summit of one of football’s most prestigious individual records. Whether he can move beyond Klose’s mark — and claim sole ownership of the record — will depend on Argentina’s progression through the tournament.