Messi grabbed his first World Cup hat-trick as the defending champions won their first fixture in convincing fashion.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has explained why he cried after scoring the first goal in his country’s convincing 3-0 win over North African side Algeria, saying it was for personal reasons and not football-related.
The 38-year-old forward made the clarification after the encounter played early on Wednesday at the Kansas City Stadium.
Messi grabbed his first World Cup hat-trick as the defending champions won their first fixture in convincing fashion.
With the feat, he became the competition’s joint-top all-time scorer, taking his World Cup finals goal tally to 16 – moving him level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
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However, after giving the Albiceleste the lead, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became visibly emotional.
When asked why he did so after the match, the Inter Miami superstar said it was not related to football.
“I cried after the first goal, yes… but it was something completely unrelated to football,” Messi said.
He went on to explain that he recently went through some difficult days and was grateful that his teammates and the entire Argentine delegation stood by his side.
He added: “I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength.”
