Lionel Messi has opened up about personal life struggles that made him emotional during the first game of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Argentine football star once again showed the world why he is one of the best footballers in the world after he led his national team to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in the World Cup opener on Tuesday, June 16, BBC reported.
The 38-year-old was seen wiping his tears after scoring the first goal of the match in the 18th minute.
When asked about that emotional moment during the post-match interview, Messi replied, “Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football. 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."
After scoring all three goals for the team, Messi unlocked a couple of career milestones. It was his first-ever World Cup hat trick that brought his World Cup goal tally to 16, equalizing with Germany's Miroslav Klose’s most goals in tournament history record.
The Inter Miami player on Wednesday took to his Instagram to once again praise his team and to celebrate winning the start of the tournament.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner wrote, “Happy for the start, grateful for the affection and very proud to see this group competing again as they have been doing all these years.”
It is worth noting that after playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi has become the only player in history to feature at six World Cups.
Argentina will play its second match of the World Cup against Austria on Monday, June 22, 2026.
