‘Difficult’—Lionel Messi Explains Why He Cried After Scoring for Argentina

The quiet soccer icon was overcome with emotion in Argentina’s 2026 opener.

Lionel Messi had another historic night. | Tom Weller/picture alliance/Getty Images

Lionel Messi admitted his emotional reaction to his first goal in Argentina’s 3–0 win over Algeria in the World Cup on Tuesday was a response to “some difficult, complicated days.”

After having an early goal ruled out for offside, Messi opened the scoring with an impressive strike from range after 17 minutes. His celebrations soon turned to tears, with no obvious reason to explain his emotions.

“It was something totally unrelated to sport,” Messi confessed after the game when asked about his tears.

“I had some difficult, complicated days. I’m grateful to the whole delegation, to all my teammates, because they were always by my side, as always, giving me a lot of strength.”

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Messi: An Honor to Tie All-Time Scoring Record

Another famous night for Messi. | Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Two more goals followed for Messi before the final whistle, taking him up to 16 strikes across his World Cup career and moving him ahead of Brazilian legend Ronaldo and level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the competition’s all-time scoring charts.

“It’s an honor, obviously, to be there because of what it means to be alongside Klose,” Messi reflected. “Ronaldo is there as well, and [Kylian] Mbappé scored two today.

“But in the end it is statistics and nothing more. It is a source of pride to be able to compete with all of them, but it means nothing. For me, Ronaldo, from what I saw, was one of the greatest, and he is not first, so it stays only as a statistic.”

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Top Scorers in World Cup History

Player	Goals
Miroslav Klose	16
Lionel Messi	16
Ronaldo	15
Gerd Müller	14
Kylian Mbappé	14

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When Can Messi Break World Cup Scoring Record?

Messi’s next goal will make history. | Hakan Akgun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Messi needs just one more goal to move clear of Klose and cement his place as the top scorer in World Cup history—even if he will be looking over his shoulder at France’s Kylian Mbappé.

The Inter Miami superstar’s next chance to claim the record for himself comes on June 22 against Austria. If he does not add to his tally then, Messi will expect to do so in Argentina’s final group game against Jordan on June 27.

That honor would be one of many for Messi this summer, including seeing a street in New Jersey temporarily named after him.

“I didn’t imagine that, or everything I’ve been able to live,” Messi said after learning about “Leo Messi Way” in Berkeley Heights.

“I was lucky to achieve all my dreams, and even more than I could have imagined, individually and as a group. Today I’m enjoying this, enjoying a beautiful group and feeling good enough to enjoy it on the pitch, as I always liked.”

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