Juwon Oshaniwa Names Lionel Messi GOAT After Hat-Trick Equals Klose’s World Cup Record Against Algeria

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener has reignited the perennial debate over football’s greatest player — and for former Nigeria international Juwon Oshaniwa, the answer has never been in question.

Argentina, the reigning world champions, defeated the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners 3-0 in what was an emphatic start to their title defence. Messi’s three goals against Algeria took his total World Cup tally to 16, drawing him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the competition’s joint all-time top scorer — a significant statistical milestone that underscored the magnitude of the performance.

Oshaniwa, who represented Nigeria as a left-back at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, knows better than most what it feels like to face the Argentina captain in a competitive setting. Nigeria lost 3-2 to Argentina in the group stage of that tournament, a match in which Messi scored twice. Speaking on Messi’s latest display, the former defender drew directly on that personal experience.

“Facing one of the greatest footballers, honestly, it’s an honour sharing the same pitch with him in competition. And he is surely the toughest striker I have ever faced,” Oshaniwa said.

He added that Messi’s performance against Algeria came as no surprise to those who have competed against him at the highest level. “You and I know too well what Messi carries inside him when it comes to football; it is beyond question. So we aren’t surprised by what he produced against Algeria,” the former Super Eagles star said.

On the broader question of where Messi sits in football history relative to Cristiano Ronaldo and others, Oshaniwa was unequivocal. “Indeed, he is the G.O.A.T.,” he declared, settling the debate in his own estimation without qualification.

Messi’s record-equalling tally places him alongside Klose, who scored 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014. The Argentine has now appeared in six World Cup editions, having made his tournament debut in Germany in 2006. His 2022 triumph in Qatar, where he won the Golden Ball, is widely regarded as the defining chapter of his international career.

Argentina’s 2026 campaign continues with a group stage fixture against Austria on June 22, before concluding the first round against Jordan on June 28. A positive result against Austria would effectively secure their place in the knockout rounds as they pursue back-to-back World Cup titles.