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Lionel Messi says he was brought to tears after scoring the opening goal in Argentina’s 3-0 win against Algeria because of a matter “completely unrelated to football”.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Argentina captain claimed a magnificent hat-trick<\/a> on his 200th appearance for his country as his side made the perfect start to their World Cup defence.<\/p>\n After curling home a wonderful opener after 18 minutes, the 38-year-old was swarmed by team-mates in celebration before being spotted wiping away tears on his shirt.<\/p>\n “Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football,” said Messi. <\/p>\n “I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my team-mates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it.”<\/p>\n Messi’s hat-trick, which was his first at a World Cup, took his finals goal tally to 16, moving him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in the competition’s history.<\/p>\n Messi also became the first player in history to feature at six World Cups, 20 years to the day since his debut at the tournament, where he scored in a 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro.<\/p>\n The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s performance helped Argentina win their opening match at a World Cup as defending champions for the first time, after defeats in 1982 and 1990.<\/p>\n Messi’s record-breaking performance followed doubts about his fitness after he was substituted early due to muscle fatigue last month in his last MLS match with Inter Miami before the World Cup.<\/p>\n “It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way,” Messi added. <\/p>\n “What I’m living through now is the cherry on top. I’m very happy and grateful for this wonderful group, I enjoy it so much.”<\/p>\n Messi was substituted after 80 minutes against Algeria to a standing ovation as his name echoed around the Kansas City Stadium.<\/p>\n