Erling Haaland is a huge fan of Lionel Messi. After Messi netted a hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup 2026 as defending champions Argentina swept past Algeria 3-0, Haaland quickly reacted on Snapchat, posting a selfie with the caption: 'Messi is a madman'.
Messi, on the occasion of his 200th international appearance, put on a vintage performance, running the show and scoring three sumptuous goals. It was the fifth consecutive World Cup game in which he had scored, a run dating back to Qatar 2022, and a first-ever World Cup hat-trick at a record-breaking sixth World Cup, aged 38 years and 357 days.
Messi now has the most goal contributions (24) of any player at the FIFA World Cup, passing Pele's tally of 21. His 16 goals also placed him joint-top of the list for most World Cup goals among male players, equalling German Miroslav Klose's record.
Argentina will next be in action on Monday evening against Austria, while Norway will take on Senegal on Tuesday morning.
