Lionel Messi achieved another extraordinary feat in his illustrious career, netting his 100th goal for Argentina in a resounding 7-0 victory over Curacao.
The strike came in the 20th minute when Messi received the ball in the box, juked, and slotted it in the left corner. Within a mere 37 minutes, the legendary footballer secured his ninth international hat trick.
Messi is the all-time leader in goals for the Albiceleste with 102 goals. He's also the team's most capped with 174 appearances.
Additionally, Messi progressed further toward the second position in the all-time men's international goal-scoring leaderboard. He now trails behind the retired Iranian icon Ali Daei, who holds 109 goals, and his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who boasts an ongoing tally of 122 goals for Portugal.
“We will never stop celebrating and I think it's fair and deserved,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni after the match.
“I hope there will be more Messi goals. He deserves all the praise and it's good that these goals were on Argentine soil, that has a special value too.”
The magician also scored the hat trick against Curacao in his revamped Adidas X Messi 2022 World Cup boots. The new boots, of course, denote the winner of the Qatar World Cup.
A trio of blue stars adorns the toe box, symbolizing Argentina's triumphant World Cup victories in 1978, 1986, and 2022.
Furthermore, the exterior of the shoe features an engraved message that declares, “FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner.”
Photo: Twitter/leomessi
