The Two Words From Algeria's Midfielder That Tell You Everything About Messi

Holy smokes, if you weren't watching Argentina absolutely dismantle Algeria on Tuesday night, you missed a masterclass that still has us buzzing! Lionel Messi put on a show for the Kansas City Stadium crowd, bagging a hat trick as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 group-stage victory. This wasn't just any win, though. Messi dropped a performance so legendary, it left Algeria's midfielder Ibrahim Maza shaking his head and giving the most perfect, concise explanation you could imagine.

"Messi Things": Yeah, He Really Said That.

Maza, who had a solid game himself and even assisted on a disallowed goal for Algeria, stepped up to the mic after the game, clearly exhausted. He had a front-row seat to Messi's magic, just yards away when Leo scored his third goal of the night. When asked to break down what made Messi unplayable, Maza just smiled and said it: "Messi things. I don't think I need to explain to you [what that means]. I think you just have to watch the game and then you'll know what I mean by Messi things. He can decide the game on his own, as we saw today." Can you blame him? Messi's trio of clinically taken goals buried Algeria and pushed Argentina to the brink of the knockout round. It’s hard to put into words when you witness that kind of greatness firsthand.

The Record Books Are Just a "Statistic" to Him

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This historic night wasn't just about the win, either. Messi's third goal tied him with Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer! And get this, he did it exactly 20 years to the day after scoring his first World Cup goal. That first one, against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, featured a mop-headed teenager with "alien-like speed." Now, two decades later, he might move a little slower, but his mind is sharper than ever, and he still finds space where there isn't any. On Tuesday, he became Argentina’s oldest-ever World Cup goalscorer, blowing past Martin Palermo’s record. Yet, when he emerged smiling with his "Superior Player of the Match" trophy, clutching what's probably the least important silverware he's ever touched, he downplayed it all. "Honestly [the record doesn’t matter]," Messi told reporters. "It’s an honor to be there, for what it means to be next to Klose, [Brazilian] Ronaldo is also there. [Kylian] Mbappé too, he scored twice today. At the end of the day it’s just a statistic and nothing more." His teammate, Rodrigo De Paul, who set up Messi's first goal, even laughed when asked about Leo's record-breaking ways, swearing Messi truly doesn't keep track. Relentlessly competitive, but humble to a fault, that's our guy. Argentina is now on the verge of the knockout round, thanks to performances like this. What else does Messi have in store for us? We're all watching to find out.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.