Soccer
Lamine Yamal insisted that there is no better player in the world than Lionel Messi following his hat-trick heroics in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria.
Messi helped Argentina kickstart their World Cup title defence with a bang after he stole the show in their 3-0 victory at Kansas City Stadium on Wednesday.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s treble took him to 16 career goals in the World Cup, equalling Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in competition history.
He is also the oldest player to score more than once in a World Cup match, aged 38 years and 357 days, surpassing Roger Milla’s previous record of 38 years and 34 days.
Messi is only the second player to score in five different World Cups, after Cristiano Ronaldo, though Yamal said there was no debate about who is the greatest player of all time.
“Every match proves he’s the best in history. If anyone has doubts, it’s because they’re looking for them,” Yamal told RTVE.
“There’s nothing more to say. My idol is Neymar, but Messi is the best.”
16 – Lionel Messi logra su hat-trick ante Argelia e iguala a Miroslav Klose como el jugador con más goles en Copas del Mundo.
Inigualable. pic.twitter.com/bJ9PhDwlsG
— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) June 17, 2026
Yamal was only fit enough to play 19 minutes of Spain’s surprise 0-0 draw with World Cup debutants Cape Verde in their opening Group H clash on Monday.
The 19-year-old watched on as his team struggled in the final third, while also watching some of the world’s best players get their campaigns up and running in North America.
Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all scored twice for their respective nations, though Yamal was not feeling the pressure to match those around him.
“My style of play is different. I want to enjoy myself, to win, I don’t want to score 16 goals and get eliminated in the semi-finals. That’s not what I’m looking for,” Yamal added.
Spain have failed to win any of their last four World Cup games (D3 L1), their joint-worst winless streak in the competition, and face Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium next.
Luis de la Fuente did not reveal whether Yamal would start against Saudi Arabia, with the Barcelona attacker adding that while he’s fit and ready to go, he is not ready to complete a full 90 minutes.
“I’m fine, I’m feeling good, but it’s too soon, it’s unnecessary; I’m still settling in,” Yamal said.
“It’s not the right time to play a full match yet – but I can play for as many minutes as the manager wants.
“I want to be on the pitch; at the end of the day, even if you know you can’t play for 90 minutes, you always want to get out there and help the team.”
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