These tears carried a different meaning. After Lionel Messi scored the first goal of his historic hat trick Tuesday night in Argentina’s World Cup opener, the soccer legend teared up and held his jersey to his eyes.

June 17 (Reuters) - An emotional Lionel Messi was wiping his tears with his shirt after scoring Argentina's first goal against Algeria in the World Cup, a strike that marked the beginning of a memorable performance where he netted thrice to secure a 3-0 win.

The two most recently faced off in the 2025 MLS Cup final, won by Messi’s Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland each had standout performances as their respective teams opened World Cup play on Tuesday, June 16.

Lionel Messi shared some insights on why he teared up after his first goal against Algeria in the World Cup: "It had nothing to do with football, I went through difficult days."

Lionel Messi made history in becoming the first player to play in six World Cups, and he made another statement on the pitch by scoring the opener for Argentina against Algeria. In the 17th minute, Rodrigo De Paul gave a perfect through ball to Messi in ...

The Argentinian soccer star's three young sons attended the game at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium with their famous soccer mom, Antonela Roccuzzo.

South Africa coach Hugo Broos wants to appeal midfielder Themba Zwane’s three-match ban for a red card at the World Cup, citing Lionel Messi in his reasoning