Twenty years after making his World Cup debut, Lionel Messi added another chapter to a career that long ago transcended expectations.

The Argentina captain scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria on Tuesday night in Kansas City, leading the reigning world champions to a convincing opening win and drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the FIFA World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 16 goals.

For a player whose legacy was already secure, the occasion somehow still felt historic.

Making his 200th senior appearance for Argentina and becoming the first player to feature in six men's World Cups, Messi once again delivered on the biggest stage. By the final whistle, the 38-year-old had not only carried Argentina to three points but also moved within touching distance of another record that once seemed untouchable.

The evening began at a frantic pace. Messi thought he had opened the scoring inside five minutes, only for an offside flag to intervene. Algeria briefly believed they had struck next, but a VAR review ruled out Fares Chaibi's finish as well.

The deadlock finally broke in the 17th minute, and unsurprisingly, Messi was at the center of it. Collecting a pass from Rodrigo De Paul some 30 yards from goal, he glided past his marker before curling a trademark effort beyond Luca Zidane and into the corner. It was the kind of finish that has defined two decades of brilliance.

Algeria remained organized for much of the first half and limited Argentina's clear opportunities, but the holders always looked in control. Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez threatened after the break as Argentina gradually tightened their grip on the match.

Messi's second arrived on the hour mark. Mac Allister unleashed a powerful strike that Zidane could only spill into a dangerous area, and the Argentine captain reacted quickest, calmly slotting home the rebound.

By then, the Kansas City crowd sensed history.

It arrived in the 76th minute when Messi collected a pass near the edge of the box, shifted onto his favored left foot and whipped another precise finish beyond Zidane to complete the first World Cup hat-trick of his career.

The goal drew him level with Klose atop the tournament's all-time scoring charts and capped a remarkable individual performance from a player still shaping football history deep into his late thirties.

Argentina's title defense could hardly have begun in more convincing fashion. Lionel Scaloni's side looked composed, balanced, and fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead after their shock opening defeat four years ago en route to lifting the trophy.

But while Argentina's ambitions remain centered on retaining the World Cup, Tuesday belonged to Messi. Two decades after first announcing himself on football's biggest stage, he remains the defining figure of it.

And with group matches against Austria and Jordan still to come, the record he now shares may not stay shared for long.