Lionel Messi scored three goals during the October international break against Bolivia at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, on matchday 10 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. With this hat trick, the forward reached his 10th such achievement with Argentina, putting him head to head with Portugal‘s Cristiano Ronaldo in this statistic.
Messi’s first goal against Bolivia came 19 minutes into the match, capitalizing on a defensive error and finishing with a precise shot to the near post. He sealed Argentina‘s 6-0 victory in the closing minutes with two more goals, scored just two minutes apart, both the result of well-executed team plays and his signature left-footed strikes that left goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra with no chance.
This latest hat trick continues a story that began on February 29, 2012, when Messi scored his first international hat trick against Switzerland in a friendly match. A few months later, he repeated the feat in a memorable 4-3 victory over Brazil in New Jersey. The following year, Guatemala became the next team to experience Leo’s brilliance.
Messi’s first official hat trick came during the 2016 Copa America, where he came off the bench to score three goals in the second half against Panama. A year later, he delivered a crucial hat trick against Ecuador in the South American qualifiers for the Russia 2018 World Cup, carrying Argentina to a vital victory.
Haiti became his next victims in a 2021 friendly, followed by Bolivia later that year in the qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup. Finally, in June 2022, Messi put on a masterclass against Estonia, scoring all five goals in Argentina’s 5-0 friendly win.
How many hat tricks does Cristiano Ronaldo have with Portugal?
In the ongoing rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, hat tricks have been a closely contested category. Like Messi, CR7 has recorded ten hat tricks with his national team.
His first came in 2013 during the World Cup qualifiers, when he netted three goals against Northern Ireland. Later that year, he delivered another hat trick in a decisive match against Sweden to send Portugal to the 2014 World Cup. Two years later, in the Euro qualifiers, Cristiano scored three goals against Armenia, while Andorra suffered him four times in 2016, as did Lithuania. Faroe Islands and Luxembourg also fell victim to his prolific scoring.
Cristiano’s most notable hat trick
One of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most iconic moments with Portugal came against Spain in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The two nations faced off in a crucial Group B match, and Ronaldo delivered a masterclass. He scored the opener just four minutes in, put Portugal ahead again after a Spanish equalizer, and ultimately rescued a point for his team with a stunning free kick that secured a 3-3 draw.