Lionel Messi has already caused a stir at World Cup 2026.
He needed just 76 minutes of this summer’s tournament to complete a hat-trick of finishes, in Argentina’s first Group J game against Algeria.
But just four minutes after his third, boss Lionel Scaloni took his nation’s superstar off.
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That substitution will be worrying for La Albiceleste, given their no.10’s run-up to the tournament.
A few weeks prior, he was taken off for Inter Miami while clutching his leg, the issue later cited as “muscle fatigue” by his club.
INCREDIBLE 🔥Lionel Messi strikes from distance and completes his hat-trick! pic.twitter.com/ZtSoFhPbS5June 17, 2026
At that stage, the forward had not formally confirmed he was going to the World Cup, but he’s made the tournament.
Thankfully, it doesn’t seem Messi’s substitution against Algeria was related to any injury.
Since coming off in that May fixture for Inter Miami, he was on the bench for a friendly against Honduras, and played just 20 minutes against Iceland.
That was upped to 80 minutes against Algeria – a clear positive that those contributions are growing.
It therefore seems that, following some discomfort last month, Messi and Scaloni are simply managing the talisman’s minutes.
Turning 39 years old during this tournament, it seems clear this will be Messi’s last World Cup.
He lifted his first-ever World Cup last time out, in Qatar in 2022, and is bidding to add a second this summer.
Only 20 players in history have claimed the trophy twice, with Pele sitting out on his own with three.
